Love is a Ruthless Game
by VenusInHerHair
Summary: Marriage Law: When Draco is paired with a Muggle-Born, Lucius takes matters into his own hands, bribing the Ministry and choosing his own daughter-in-law. But things don't go to plan when Lucius find himself drawn to the girl who was meant to marry his son, the girl Narcissa is coming to see as a daughter...Lucius/OC, some Draco/OC. Warnings: language, lemons, mature themes. M.
1. Chapter 1

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

SUMMARY: "Love is a Ruthless Game": When Draco is paired with a Muggle-Born bride, Lucius takes matters into his own hands, bribing the Ministry and choosing his own daughter-in-law. But things don't go to plan when Lucius find himself irresistibly drawn to the girl who was meant to marry his son, the girl Narcissa is coming to see as a daughter already...Lucius/OC, with some Draco/OC. This is a parallel story to "Loving Him Was Red", but there won't be much (if any) overlap, just the odd reference. Warnings: language, lemons, smut, mature themes. Rated M.

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

[Here we ago again! I know I should maybe branch out into non-Marriage-Law fics, but this plot was calling out to me, demanding to be written! And I'm excited to be writing a new set of characters, especially my first OC :) If she ever starts to seem like a 'Mary-Sue', for goodness' sake someone please tell me! Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and please please please review! (If anyone was looking for the sequel to "Loving Him Was Red", this isn't it, this is a parallel story with different characters! The sequel is called: "Begin Again"). x ]

CHAPTER ONE

"_The Ministry of Magic wishes to inform you, Mr Malfoy, of a new law which has recently been passed concerning Magical Marriages. Due to the low birth rate of Pure or Half-Blood wizards and witches, the Ministry was compelled to consider possibilities to increase these important statistics. After much thought, we came to a decision._

"_Henceforth, from this day onwards, all Magical persons between the ages of 16 and 45 will be paired up, as the Ministry in its wisdom sees fit, and will be given a two-week period in which to marry._

"_Mr Malfoy, please find below the pairings concerning those Magical persons believed to be currently residing at your address. Please note, having read this letter, it has now become your legal obligation to ensure that these unions are completed before the appropriate deadlines._

_Congratulations!_

"_Regards,_

"_The Minister for Magic, _

_"K. Shacklebolt"_

_*"Mr Draco Lucius Malfoy will marry Miss Olivia Charlotte Creevey forthwith."*_

Lucius Malfoy scowled at the parchment in his hands, telling him that his son was to be married to _Olivia Creevey_. A 'muggle born'. He could feel his blood pressure rising. It was insufferable. The Ministry had to be joking, although it was far from funny. Dennis and Collin Creevey had remained largely off Lucius' radar in the time his son was at Hogwarts, _lucky for them_, he thought, unlike Granger. But this...No.

Lucius slammed the letter down on his desk and rose to his feet quickly, sending his chair screeching across the floor of his office. "Lexi!" he barked, and the house-elf appeared at his feet, quivering in the way she always did when he called. He couldn't imagine why...

"Fetch my cloak - I'm going out."

*.*.*.*.*

"Mr Malfoy," the amused voice of the Minister for Magic greeted him as he stormed into his office at the Ministry: "I presume you got your letter..." Lucius stopped short and glowered down at Shacklebolt, who met the anger in his eyes with a restrained grin. This clearly _was_ a joke to him. "Have a seat..."

"Do not tell me to sit, Shacklebolt." Lucius spat the name, and gripped the back of the chair with one hand, his cane in the other. "_Olivia Creevey_?! What has Draco done to deserve _that_?"

Shacklebolt feigned incomprehension, shrugging his shoulders in a way that only served to infuriate Lucius further. "I don't know what you mean, Mr Malfoy. From what I hear, Olivia Creevey is a lovely young woman..."

"She's a-" Lucius lowered his voice. His views about _mudbloods_ may not have changed, but government policy was becoming stricter by the day on, what they classed, 'discrimination'. "She's a _muggle-born_."

Shacklebolt nodded, again trying not to look to gleeful at Malfoy's disdain and discomfort. "That she is, and a fine witch too. I think she and Draco will get on swimmingly..." This time he couldn't help it; his face broke out into a wide smirk. Malfoy had been officially forgiven for his participation in the war, and Shacklebolt knew that he knew that he had to be careful not to push the Ministry too far. This resulted in endless amusement for Shacklebolt, who took great pleasure in putting the wizard in these sorts of situations, and watching him seethe. This time, however, he did have a further motive.

"Damn it, Shacklebolt," Lucius snapped, banging the chair down on the concrete of the floor. "What do you want?"

The Minister sobered, and sat back in his chair, steepling his hands in front of him as he contemplated Malfoy. "Actually, Mr Malfoy, there is an...opportunity...for 'maneuver' here. You see, I still haven't got round to sending Miss Creevey her letter." He reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a sealed piece of parchment. In reality it was blank, but he'd been keeping there, certain as he was that Malfoy would be along at some point. "I could always _postpone_ sending this, if you had another bride in mind for Draco...?"

Lucius regarded him coldly, trying to gather his thoughts. What was Shacklebolt getting at here? It suddenly hit him. "You want my money. You want me to bribe you, in return for another choice."

"Not just another choice, Mr Malfoy, _your own choice_." Now Shacklebolt had lowered his voice too, and threw up a silencing charm around his office for added privacy. "I'll be straight with you - we're running low on funding this year. We have a whole host of new policies we need to implement, new staff we need to pay for, and not enough galleons." He got to his feet so that he was at Malfoy's height. "_Quid pro quo_, Mr Malfoy. A generous _donation_ might see me burn this," he waved the parchment in between them, "And I'm sure I could convince the Ministers in charge of the law to accept a new choice for Draco..."

Lucius took a deep breath, trying to think through his options. It was clear that Shacklebolt wanted an answer now. Money wasn't an issue for him, and he was confident that Shacklebolt wasn't aware of the extent of his wealth, especially his income from property and investment abroad. He could give a generous _donation_, and hardly make a dent in his galleon supplies... "I'll do it."

*.*.*.*.*

**[Sorry it's so short, my first chapters normally are, though - most of the time my chapters are at least double this! Please leave me your thoughts in the review section, and follow/favorite if you're interested! Thank you for reading! x]**


	2. Chapter 2

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

SUMMARY: "Love is a Ruthless Game": When Draco is paired with a Muggle-Born bride, Lucius takes matters into his own hands, bribing the Ministry and choosing his own daughter-in-law. But things don't go to plan when Lucius find himself irresistibly drawn to the girl who was meant to marry his son, the girl Narcissa is coming to see as a daughter already...Lucius/OC, with some Draco/OC. This is a parallel story to "Loving Him Was Red", but there won't be much (if any) overlap, just the odd reference. Warnings: language, lemons, smut, mature themes. Rated M.

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

[Thank you so much for the first review, _rileypotter17 - _you made my day with your comments! :)) I hope you like Virginia...Please keep on reviewing! x ]

**CHAPTER TWO**

"Virginia! Avez-vous gagné le poids?" Her mother's sharp voice broke Virginia's reverie, and she turned wearily to face her. _Have you gained weight_? One of her mother's favourite questions.

"No, Maman."

"Mon poussin," her mother continued to berate her, reaching out impatiently to smooth her hair behind her ear, like she was a messy child and not a young woman. "Zat dress is not flattering, take it off." Virginia refrained from sighing with difficulty, knowing it would do no good. She found herself in this sort of situation far too often with her mother. Whatever she did, she was never quite good enough, or beautiful enough, or graceful enough, or witty enough. It was exhausting to try to keep up with her mother's wishes.

"_Poussin_!" her mother snapped, "Hurry up!" To an outsider, the her mother's nickname for her, _chicken_, might have sounded like an endearment. It was not. It's origins stemmed back to her first governess, who had deemed her handwriting "chicken-scratch". Her mother had never let it go, although Virginia's years a Beauxbatons had corrected her handwriting, along with her "appalling posture" and "distinct lack of grace".

Now clad in only her underclothes, Virginia crossed her arms in the cold draught of the room, and awaited further instructions while her mother inspected her. "Turn around," she commanded. "Oui, you have gained weight," she concluded, prodding her daughter's flat stomach. "Zat _school_ was no Beauxbatons." She meant Hogwarts; her disdain for her daughter's second school transcended languages, and she had pulled Virginia out after the end of the war, along with the other aristocratic families, deciding that Virginia didn't _need_ NEWTs, after all.

"Why did zat McGonagelles not implement more exerzise?" her mother demanded, her back turned to Virginia as she rummaged through her daughter's wardrobe.

"Maman, McGona_gall_," Virginia corrected, trying to keep her voice impassive. "It was a troubled time for the school, with the war, and-"

"Ah, this one will do," Madame Renwick cut in, spinning triumphantly with a light pink chiffon gown, which she proceeded to thrust in her daughter's face. "Well, put it on, _poussin_, _vite_!"

Virginia took the proffered gown and stepped into it carefully, pulling it up over her shoulders. The fabric was thin, and stopped at her knees, leaving her calves cold. "Better," her mother offered coldly, circling her.

Just then her father, the ever-remote Charles Renwick, hammered on the door. "Ladies, it's time to go. Antoinette, Virginia, hurry up." He backed away from the door, and Antoinette tutted, brushing off imaginary lint from the dress. Virginia had noticed a definite coldness between her parents ever since her English father had decided to pull her out of Beauxbatons and move her to Hogwarts so that she could take her OWLs there. Her mother had been highly offended at the slight to the school her mother and grandmother before her had attended, but had been unable to dissuade her husband from the inevitable; he had made his mind up, and Charles Renwick didn't altar his plans.

Normally, Antoinette had to admit, this wasn't a problem, as she agreed with most of his schemes - well, the ones she was allowed in on. But Hogwarts...she shuddered. It had done nothing for her daughter.

"Vite, vite, _poussin_, we'll be late for dinner. I don't suppose the Malfoys don't like to be kept waiting." Her tone was irritated, and almost its normal bossy self, but Virginia could detect a hint of nerves under her mother's aloof demeanor. She hadn't been allowed to know _why _her family had been invited to the Malfoy's for dinner that evening, especially at such short notice, but she thought that her parents _did_ know, and were keeping it from her, for whatever reason. _Or no reason_, she thought. It was quite common for them to simply _forget_ to tell her things. _Like that she was leaving Beauxbatons..._she thought bitterly. _Or that she was leaving Hogwarts, too..._

All she knew was that her mother was desperate for her to look attractive, although that was nothing new. She couldn't leave the house without her mother's disapproving scrutiny, not even to go for a stroll in their own gardens.

Now her mind turned back to tonight, as she followed her mother to the entrance hall, from where they would apparate. The Malfoys had invited them to use the Floo system, but her mother adamantly refused - it was dirty, she said, and rude to appear in a person's fireplace upon the first visit. No, she had said, they would apparate, and walk up the Malfoy's drive way, like the civilized Purebloods they were. No arguments.

Although Virginia had been sorted into Slytherin house for her relatively short time at Hogwarts, she was two years younger than Draco, and had had little to do with him, other than the one time when he had shouted at her for being in his way as he strode down a corridor in a fit of rage. She highly doubted he remembered her; they hadn't seen each other since before the Battles started at Hogwarts, when her mother had withdrawn her.

She knew that her father had done business with Lucius Malfoy, something to do with property acquisition in France, but she wasn't aware that they were friends, or even saw each other sociably. And her mother had never even met Narcissa, and was delighted and _humbled_, in her words, to be meeting such a _fine _and _noble_ lady, of such a _fine_ family. _At least someone was excited, if nervous, about the dinner_, Virginia mused, taking in her mother's state. Her father looked wary and unimpressed at his wife's tardiness, and gripped the arms of his wife and daughter roughly as they apparated to Malfoy Manor.

*.*.*.*.*

Draco Malfoy paced the length of the dining room, fists clenched at his sides. "Move, Lexi!" he barked, as his father's newest house-elf got in his way as she carried in the freshly polished goblets. In truth, the elf had done nothing to displease; she seemed well-mannered and obedient, but he was in a foul mood, which his father had warned him that he needed to subdue for their dinner party.

_Dinner party_. Damn it, of all the insufferable, pointless, godforsaken social customs...He stopped and took a deep breath to calm down. It wasn't even the party he was angry about, he reminded himself. It was the _letter_.

His father had burst into his room late that morning, fuming, and thrust a piece of parchment at him, with the seal of the Ministry. _He was to be married, _falling, as he did, into the category of single 16-45 year-olds, and to a _mudblood_, no less. Except he wasn't, not now. Now, his father had taken it upon himself to find him a bride himself.

In some ways, Draco had to admit, this _was_ better. He couldn't picture the Creevey girl, but based on his memories of her brothers...No, his father's choice had to be better than _that. _He probably wouldn't have minded at all, if it hadn't been for Pansy, who he was still rather hung-up over. But, as of this morning, she was betrothed to some idiot Hufflepuff, poor girl. And even Astoria, his mother's choice, was to be married to Ronald Weasley. He did _not _envy her. Thank Merlin the Ministry hadn't tried to put him with Ginevra...or Granger, come to that.

"Draco, come and wait in the Hall," his mother called from the door. "They're just walking up the path."

*.*.*.*.*

Virginia tried not to stare up at the Manor looming over her as she struggled to keep up with her parents, who were striding down the gravel path between two intimidating hedgerows. They reached the impressive wrought-iron gates, which swung open for them, as if expecting guests. Her father drew himself up to his full height, guessing that someone was watching them, perhaps from one of the diamond-paneled windows.

"Stand up straight," her mother hissed at her, as they stopped before the front door, and her father knocked firmly, before stepping back and adjusting his cloak slightly, straightening the expensive fabric.

Quickly, the door swung open, revealing Lucius Malfoy. Virginia vaguely wondered why he'd opened the door himself, but pushed that thought aside as she smiled politely. He didn't seem to notice her. Lucius greeted her parents formally, and stepped aside to let them in. Three house-elves rushed over to them, bowing low before taking their travelling cloaks.

"It's so good to have you here," Lucius cooed, his voice velvet. "Madam Renwick," he said, addressing her mother with the smallest hint of an accent, suggesting a knowledge of the French language, "Enchanté." Virginia tried not to wince as her mother blushed slightly, and extended her hand for Lucius to kiss.

His eyes seemed to find Virginia for the first time, and he took a small, involuntary step towards her. She held her ground, although she would instinctively have stepped back: the man was intimidating and, frankly, she was struggling to keep eye contact. "Mademoiselle Virginia, enchanté." He took her proffered hand, his grey eyes never leaving hers. "I'm so glad you could come tonight."

"It was an honour to be invited," her father interceded before she was forced to answer. From the shadows in the corner of the hall, movement caught Virginia's eye, and Lucius turned at the sound of footsteps.

Draco had stepped forward, just behind the women Virginia assumed to be Narcissa Malfoy. She was a tall and slim woman, currently dressed in a light pink gown, not dissimilar to Virginia's own. She had about her an air of grace and good-breeding, much like her mother and her the women of her mother's family in France. Her long blond hair was swept up in a braid, and neatly charmed back. In the dim light of the hall, her pale skin looked almost ethereal, and her distinguished beauty was striking.

"Charles, I believe you've met my wife, Narcissa. Narcissa, our guests: Mr and Madam Renwick and Mademoiselle Virginia Renwick." Narcissa walked gracefully over the rug that covered the floor of the entrance hall, and Virginia watched as her father greeted her, kissing both cheeks. Her mother did the same.

When Narcissa turned to kiss Virginia, her expression changed, but almost imperceptibly, her eyes glinting by the candle light. As she leant down, Virginia could smell her perfume, and when she stood back, she kept a light hold on Virginia's shoulders, almost like she was inspecting her, or assessing her for some reason. Virginia glanced down, feeling uncomfortable under the older woman's scrutiny.

"Draco, come," Lucius commanded, and Virginia recognized in his voice the same tone her mother used with her in the presence of visitors. Draco stepped forward reluctantly, and shook hands with her parents, a cold smile plastered to his face which didn't reach his eyes, and nodded to Virginia.

The two families introduced, Narcissa cleared her throat, and invited them into the dining room. Her clear voice echoed in the hall as the Renwicks were led through a dark corridor.

*.*.*.*.*

Once again, Virginia found herself trying not to stare. The Malfoy dining room couldn't have been further removed from her own family suite, which was light and decorated by her mother in calm, clean pastel colours. The Malfoy's dining room was long and narrow, with a long black table stretching from one end to the other. House-elves, clad in crisp white aprons, lined the walls, another example of the Malfoy's obvious wealth.

Narcissa led the group into the room, slipping into her role as hostess with ease. "Mr and Mrs Renwick, would you like to sit down?" She gestured to two places on the left side of the table. Virginia noticed with interest how her mother, who would normally pout slightly at being addressed as "Mrs" and not "Madam", either didn't notice or didn't care when Narcissa spoke to her. She was clearly as impressed with the woman as she'd expected to be.

Lucius took Virginia by surprise, slipping his arm under hers and guiding her around the table, to sit in the seat opposite her mother. Draco sat at the end of the table next to Virginia, and Lucius took the head position, with Narcissa on his right, opposite Mr Renwick. Antoinette noticed with approval how the Malfoy men waited until the ladies were seated before sitting themselves: this was exactly the type of good-breeding she wanted for her daughter...

Most of the conversation during the starter took place at the head of the table, between Lucius and Charles, with Virginia's mother keeping a firm eye on her daughter, lest she do something unforgivably clumsy or rude at the table.

Narcissa had begun the meal making polite small talk with Virginia, but as the main course was served, Virginia couldn't help but notice that her questions became more personal, and that whenever she gave a positive answer, Narcissa would shoot an odd look at Draco, who remained utterly silent.

_What was your education at Beauxbatons like? _she had asked, and _How did you do in your OWLs? What have you been doing these past few months, since you left Hogwarts?_ She looked particularly pleased when Virginia told her that she'd spent the last few months at their family home, perfecting her French under a governess, and increasing her understanding of Herbology. She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow at Draco, who smiled stiffly in return, but still said nothing.

By the time desert was served, Virginia was becoming slightly suspicious as to the Malfoy's reasons for inviting them. There was definitely some sort of underlying tension, and whenever the Ministry was mentioned, the adults would exchange glances and change the subject, without fail onto the topic of Virginia, and her life. Antoinette interjected wherever possible, praising her daughter to the Malfoys, which made Virginia especially nervous. Her mother never praised her, not even in front of guests. More than once during the course of the meal, Virginia would glance up and find Lucius watching her, his hard eyes drinking her in.

After they had finished eating, Lucius invited Charles and Antoinette to join him and Narcissa in the drawing room for drinks, and 'suggested' that Draco take Virginia on a tour of the grounds.

"It's dark, Father," Draco replied, his voice sounding rusty from lack of use all evening. Lucius glared at him.

"The moon is bright tonight, Draco. Take your wand - you'll be fine." His tone left no room for argument, and Draco rose stiffly, helping Virginia by pulling her seat out. She rose slightly stiffly after the long meal, and smiled at him in thanks. He averted his eyes.

"Draco, a word please, before you go." Narcissa smiled at the rest of the party to excuse herself, and led her son into the anteroom through a hidden adjoining door behind where he'd been sitting. She waited until the rest of the party had left the dining room, before turning on him.

"Draco, what has happened to your manners tonight?" she demanded, gripping his chin to search his eyes. "You know perfectly well that Virginia, in all likelihood, will become your _wife_, and not in too distant a future. Why aren't you talking to her?"

Draco shrugged, and tried to look away. "She doesn't know, does she?"

"Hmm?"

"She doesn't know. I can see it in her eyes. She's trying to work out what we want from her."

"Perhaps."

"She has a right to know, don't you think, what Father has planned?"

His mother narrowed her eyes in warning. "If Mr and Mrs Renwick haven't seen it fit to tell their daughter yet, that is their business, and not ours. Do you understand? If your father is pleased with her, she will know soon enough." Draco shook his head.

"What if she asks me?"

"She won't," his mother replied with confidence. "She's a well-raised, polite young woman. She spent her formative years at Beauxbatons, for Merlin's sake. She knows it would be out of place to ask you such an accusatory question."

Draco still looked apprehensive. "What is it, Draco? You've talked to girls before. What's wrong with you?"

"I've talked to Pansy before. And Daphne and Astoria. I grew up with them. I barely know this girl."

Narcissa sighed impatiently. "What more do you want, Draco? I suggested Virginia to your father this morning for a reason: she's an intelligent, well-raised, Pureblood. She's was even a Slytherin! She's young, she's polite, and you can't deny that the girl's beautiful." She took in her son's unimpressed expression. "Well, no matter, I could always send her home and call the Creeveys - how about that?" she hissed. "Olivia Creevey. Older than you, ex-Hufflepuff, plain, from what I've heard, _mudblood_...Is that what you want?"

Draco grimaced. "No, Mother. Forgive me." Narcissa nodded sharply, and released him.

"Go and take her on the tour. And not a word." Draco nodded meekly.

*.*.*.*.*

[Please review! And if you could, specifically let me know what you think of Virginia so far? Is she likable/believable? And the characterization of the Malfoys - I haven't really written them before... Thank you! x ]


	3. Chapter 3

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

SUMMARY: "Love is a Ruthless Game": When Draco is paired with a Muggle-Born bride, Lucius takes matters into his own hands, bribing the Ministry and choosing his own daughter-in-law. But things don't go to plan when Lucius find himself irresistibly drawn to the girl who was meant to marry his son, the girl Narcissa is coming to see as a daughter already...Lucius/OC, with some Draco/OC. This is a parallel story to "Loving Him Was Red", but there won't be much (if any) overlap, just the odd reference. Warnings: language, lemons, smut, mature themes. Rated M.

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

[Thank you so much to my reviewers, _rileypotter17 _and _judy12 _- please keep on reviewing! And thank you to everyone who has followed and favourited! ^.^ I don't normally do recommendations, but I've just started reading "The Lover" by **_rileypotter17 _**and I have to say, it's brilliant! Anyone who ships Hermione and Sirius needs to go check it out immediately! (Well, preferably read and review this chapter first, lol :p) x ]

**CHAPTER THREE**

Lucius watched the girl sitting before him carefully, having given up any pretense of subtly a few minutes ago. While Narcissa was still talking to Draco, presumably about his noticeable lack of manners at dinner, Lucius had taken his guests into the drawing room, pouring coffee for Antoinette and brandy for himself and Charles. Virginia had declined a drink, earning herself a stiff glare from her mother, which Lucius had noted with vague amusement and a wry smile. He would have done the same to Draco, although inexplicably the girl's refusal hadn't offended him in the slightest.

But now he was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up conversation with Mr and Madam Renwick, so caught up was he with watching their daughter. The girl was perched on one end of a sofa, opposite the armchair he had placed himself in. She looked a tad nervous, which, he had to admit, was understandable. It had been clear at dinner that she didn't know why she was there, which put her at a distinct disadvantage.

She kept her eyes down modestly, and he wondered if she could feel him watching her. _Probably_, he thought. Beauxbatons girls normally had a sixth sense for these things, as far as he could tell from past experience. But this one was different, and he felt almost _guilty_ lumping her in with the flirtatious, often promiscuous, young women he'd come to associate with the French Academy in his younger years.

He watched her with interest, bordering on _fascination_, from the corners of his eyes as the corners of her lips rose in a small smile as her father concluded an anecdote he'd been telling Lucius. Lucius smiled in return, and let out a small, dignified laugh, although he hadn't really been paying any attention to the story, which sounded vaguely amusing at best, dreadfully dull at worst.

Luckily for him, he was saved from having to make comment by the return of his wife and son. Draco was looking suitably chastised, he noted approvingly, and both he and Charles Renwick rose to welcome Narcissa into the room. These social niceties had been engrained in him at a young age, and he didn't even think about them anymore, but was happy to note that the Renwicks observed them too.

"Virginia," Draco began awkwardly, and Lucius cringed at his son's lack of eloquence. "Would you join me for the tour?" His voice was stiff and embarrassingly unenthusiastic. Lucius was almost tempted to take the girl outside himself. _Almost_...

Virginia smiled politely and rose, smoothing the skirt of her dress over her shapely legs. "There's a chill in the air at this time of year," Draco continued, his tone distant, having noticed the flimsy material of her dress. "Shall I fetch your travelling cloak?"

"No, no, that won't do," Narcissa cut in, her clear voice ringing, her tone soft. "Virginia can't wear a _travelling_ cloak for a tour. No, Virginia come with me for a moment, I shall lend you a shawl for your walk." She smiled encouragingly at Virginia, and Lucius marveled at the sight. _She must really like her..._His wife was notoriously difficult to please.

He watched as Narcissa took Virginia's arm, in the manner of an old friend, and led her from the room, heading towards the staircase. Draco perched uncomfortably on the edge of the chair she'd vacated, and made no effort to start a conversation with his future parents-in-law.

*.*.*.*.*

"Let's see," Narcissa hummed to herself, searching through the many pieces in her armoire for something suitable for Virginia to wear. Virginia stood behind her, hands clasped in front of her from a mixture of nerves and discomfort. _Should I make conversation?_ she wondered. _Would that be presumptuous? _

She took in her surroundings subtly, knowing better than to stare or look too closely at any of Narcissa's personal belongings. The older woman's bedroom was quite something though, even though Virginia had a restricted view from where she was standing. The room was decorated in cream and pale pinks, serving as quite a contrast to the other parts of the Manor Virginia had seen so far. This room was obviously a woman's space.

It came as no surprise to her that Lucius and Narcissa didn't share a bedroom; if her own parents and parents of her friends were anything to go by, the older aristocratic pureblood families often didn't. She was also aware that many men in the same social circles as her father and Lucius Malfoy took mistresses and had numerous affairs outside of their marriages, especially when their wives were pregnant. Although her own father had never been with other women, as far as she knew, she had heard numerous complaints from her roommates at Beauxbatons, that their fathers, who normally spoiled them rotten, would go through phases of buying them nothing because they were busy with their _other_ women.

"There, what do you think of this one?" Narcissa asked, turning to face her with a beautiful cape, dark pink in colour, with what looked like diamonds studding the neckline.

"It's lovely," Virginia replied, trying to keep the edge of surprise from her voice. She hadn't expected Narcissa to offer her anything so obviously expensive to borrow. The older woman stepped nearer, unclasping the fastening, and reached around to drape the cape over Virginia's shoulders, before stepping back to inspect her.

"Beautiful," she murmured, circling her in much the same way her mother had earlier in the evening. Virginia stood still and smiled, a genuine smile this time. She didn't know why Mrs Malfoy was being so nice to her, but she didn't want it to end any time soon. "It matches your dress perfectly. In fact-" Narcissa disappeared for a moment through a small door adjacent to the armoire, and reemerged holding a pair of cream heels: "These will go perfectly, don't you think?"

Virginia only just stopped her jaw from dropping. She really was taken aback. "Yes, Mrs Malfoy, that's so kind of you..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say or do next.

"Darling, please, call me Narcissa." Virginia nodded and slipped her shoes off, setting the light pink ballet slippers to the side as Narcissa dropped to her knees before her and helped her step into the heels. They were slightly too big, but with a quick charm they fitted perfectly. Narcissa rose, looking very pleased with herself, and gently grasped Virginia's shoulder, turning her to face her reflection in the mirror.

Virginia took in her reflection, smiling gratefully at the woman behind her own image. The cape matched her dress perfectly, and the shoes set off the outfit strikingly. She was still wondering _why_ exactly Narcissa was so keen she look good, but was grateful nonetheless. It had been a long time since anyone had taken time to play dress-up with her, not since her days at Beauxbatons, much less her own mother, who only took enough interest to scorn her and berate her choices in clothing.

"Thank you, Narcissa, you're very kind," she said, the almost musical lilt in her voice which she'd been taught at Beauxbatons more pronounced in the presence of company. Narcissa smiled warmly at her, and patted her shoulders fondly.

*.*.*.*.*

Lucius, Draco, and her father all rose when she entered the room, and Draco went to meet her, taking her arm in his. Nobody noticed the way Lucius' eyes darkened slightly with lust, seeing this beautiful young woman in a cloak he hadn't seen his wife wear in years. He quickly tore his eyes away from her, scalding himself for allowing the old fires to rekindle within him, and cleared his throat, offering the Renwicks more drinks.

"You look lovely," Draco offered stiffly, as he led Virginia away from the room and towards the back of the house.

"Thank you, Draco," Virginia replied, her voice soft. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy, who clearly didn't want to have had anything to do with the dinner party, let alone be giving her a tour. She felt a sudden urge to ask him why his parents had invited them, but pushed the thoughts aside briskly: that would be highly inappropriate. Instead, she waited to see if he'd make conversation, content to walk quietly if he didn't.

Draco let go of her arm to open a set of double doors, which led out onto a terrace, beyond which Virginia assumed were the gardens, although in the darkness she couldn't see very clearly. Draco pulled out his wand, and muttered a spell, which provided them with slightly more light. In all truth, he was unsure what exactly his father expected him to show the girl: Malfoy Manor didn't _have_ gardens, only high hedges lining the boundaries of the estate.

The pair stood awkwardly on the terrace, looking out into the darkness of the night. Draco's thoughts turned, not for the first time that evening, to the Marriage Law, and he wondered why Virginia hadn't already been paired with someone else. A flash of hope struck him - what if she was already betrothed, and that was the reason she was so confused about having been invited this evening? She was sixteen, within the age boundaries, unmarried, pureblood...It made no sense. Unless...

"When did you say you say you came to England?" he asked abruptly, taking Virginia by surprise.

"When I was fourteen," she answered. "Father wanted me to take my OWLs in Britain."

"And before that? You had always lived in France?"

She nodded, nonplussed as to why he was suddenly taking such an interest in information she had already relayed to his mother at dinner, when Draco clearly hadn't been listening. "Yes, although I visited England and Scotland in the holidays, to see my father's family and practice my English."

Draco nodded curtly, and turned to face away from the house again; that explained it. She probably wasn't on the Ministry's radar, having spent the majority of her life in France. _Dammit_, he cursed under his breath, hoping she wouldn't hear him.

"Have I said something wrong?" Virginia asked quietly, alarmed at Draco's mutterings, although this was more like the boy she'd observed from afar at Hogwarts. He clenched his jaw and shook his head quickly.

"No, forgive me." He regarded her intensely for a moment. His mother was right - she was beautiful, especially standing here in the moonlight, although Draco was no hopeless romantic. Her dark hair shone in the dim light, slightly tousled from the breeze, and her almond-shaped, grey eyes returned his probing gaze with an air of kindness which he hadn't appreciated before. In another time, he would have found her chiseled jaw line, small chin and heart-shaped face highly attractive. _Stunning, _even. But she was no Pansy. And he wanted Pansy.

"Come, let's go back inside," Draco commanded, his tone firm, like his father's, and he reached out to take Virginia's arm again, clearly hoping to keep up appearances for his parents' sake.

They walked in silence back to the drawing room, where to their surprise, only Mr and Madam Renwick were seated. Charles rose to greet them: "Draco, your parents asked me to tell you that they'd like to see you in your father's study, while we speak with Virginia."

"Thank you, Mr Renwick," Draco replied, a hint of worry in his reply, and he dropped Virginia's arm, almost rudely, lacking the watchful eyes of his parents, before hurrying from the room.

"We have zome news," Madam Renwick announced, a triumph gleam unmistakable in her eyes, and her father gestured for her to sit. Before Virginia had even had a chance to gather her thoughts, her mother hit her with what felt like a thunder-bolt: "You are to marry Draco Malfoy!"

*.*.*.*.*

"Draco, enter." Lucius cold voice rang across the length of his office, and Draco entered warily, crossing to where his father sat at his mahogany desk, his mother standing to his side, her hand resting on his shoulder, the image of a dutiful wife.

"Yes, Father?" Draco asked, his eyes darting between his parents' faces, trying to discern what might be going on, although he had a pretty good idea.

"We've made a decision," Lucius announced, as if it had never been Draco's choice at all. _Which it hadn't_, Draco thought bitterly. Despite his mother claiming earlier that they wanted him to "meet Virginia" and "see if he liked her", he had always known deep down that his opinion didn't matter, not if his parents liked her.

"Yes, Father?" he asked, gulping. His hands gripped the back of the chair he stood behind, his knuckles turning white with nerves he was desperately trying to hide from his mother's scrutiny.

"Virginia will make a fine bride for you, Draco. Her parents have agreed. You are to be married. Next week."

*.*.*.*.*

"You are to marry Draco Malfoy," Virginia's mother repeated impatiently, when her daughter made no move to break her stunned silence after a few seconds. "_Poussin_, answer me," she demanded, although she'd asked no question.

Virginia raised her eyes to meet her mother's, before glancing towards her father for affirmation. He raised a thick eyebrow at her, but kept his typical stony silence, watching his wife and daughter from afar.

"Mother, I...I wasn't aware that..."

"Ze British Ministry of Magic has implemented a Marriage Law," her mother explained briefly, "And ze Malfoys have chosen you for their son." She regarded her daughter coldly, noting her lack of emotional response with harsh disapproval. "Vell, aren't you happy, _poussin_?" she demanded. "You should be honored!"

"But, Maman," Virginia began, "I am only just sixteen. I don't know Draco, or the Malfoy family..."

"So?" her mother retorted, shrugging in a very French way. "I vas seventeen when I was betrothed to your father. I didn't know him. It is," she paused to think of the word she wanted: "Irrelevant."

"Maman, I..." she shook her head in disbelief. She'd been right in thinking that something more was going on, her intuitions spot on. "Why do they want me?" she asked finally, thinking about Pansy Parkinson, and the other girls she'd seen Draco with in the Slytherin Common Room.

"Good question!" her mother exclaimed cruelly, before resuming her serious expression. "Ze English girls have been paired with others. Also, you are from a good family, a pure bloodline, you are," her mother hesitated to say it, "_Beautiful_, and your father does business with Lucius. It is a perfect match."

Virginia was too shocked to say anything more. She'd always half-expected her parents to arrange a marriage for her, although she'd hoped that the aristocratic tradition would have died out by the time she came of age. But she'd never thought it would come so soon. "I am only just sixteen..." she repeated helplessly, looking to her father, but Charles Renwick merely looked away.

The three Renwicks were interrupted by a rap on the door of the drawing room: as if on cue, Lucius and Narcissa had returned. Narcissa took in Virginia's pale expression with slight concern, although it didn't surprise her. She had hoped for, but not expected, a positive reaction from the girl.

She took a seat next to Lucius on a couch, opposite where their guests were seated. Virginia, prompted by her mother, changed seats to be part of the group. She was pleased to note that Draco had not returned to the room.

"May I assume that your parents have told you our news?" Lucius asked, addressing Virginia directly for only the second time that evening, although he'd been watching her keenly for most of it. Virginia could only nod numbly in answer.

"We have a proposition for you," Narcissa said, her voice unusually gentle, and she waited until Virginia met her eyes before continuing. "We are very aware that we've..._sprung_ this upon you, and we know that you don't know our son very well. So, we would like to invite you to stay with us here in the Manor until the wedding, so as to get to know Draco better." Virginia's eyes widened. "You will have your own room," Narcissa continued quickly, "And you are welcome to have your personal house-elves sent over, along with your other possessions. We want to make you comfortable here."

"'Sent over'"? Virginia asked, picking up on perhaps the most mundane detail.

Narcissa nodded. "Well yes, there seems little point in sending you home at such a late hour, when the wedding is approaching so quickly. We'd like you to move in tonight."

"I-"

"Virginia, your manners," her mother berated, trying to keep her tone light in front of the Malfoys, although she was fooling no one. "It is a very kind offer, you must accept."

"I...Thank you, Mr Malfoy, Narcissa," Virginia stuttered at last, trying for a smile which came out like a grimace.

"Call me Lucius," Lucius commanded, his velvet voice sending shivers down Virginia's back. She was about to move in with these people...She'd known them only hours...

Charles Renwick chose this moment to find his voice again, and again Lucius was forced to tear his eyes away from the girl. "We'd best be leaving now," he said, rising to his feet, and Antoinette followed his lead, reaching down to swipe a stray lock of hair behind her daughter's ear before she left her in the hands of strangers.

"We will send your belongings, and Mimi and Bron," her mother told her. "Her house-elves," she explained to Narcissa and Lucius. In fact, this was only half-true: Bron was not _her_ house-elf, but her mother clearly wanted to create the impression that they had as many servants as the Malfoys did, when in fact they had only seven.

"Very well," her father cut in, bending awkwardly to kiss his daughter on the top of her head. Antoinette did the same, and with that, Narcissa and Lucius escorted them from the room, leaving Virginia alone in the drawing room.

*.*.*.*.*

[Please leave me a review, I'd really appreciate it! x ]


	4. Chapter 4

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

SUMMARY: "Love is a Ruthless Game": When Draco is paired with a Muggle-Born bride, Lucius takes matters into his own hands, bribing the Ministry and choosing his own daughter-in-law. But things don't go to plan when Lucius find himself irresistibly drawn to the girl who was meant to marry his son, the girl Narcissa is coming to see as a daughter already...Lucius/OC, with some Draco/OC. This is a parallel story to "Loving Him Was Red", but there won't be much (if any) overlap, just the odd reference. Warnings: language, lemons, smut, mature themes. Rated M.

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

[Hello again everyone, I'm sorry for the long delay. Thank you so much to everyone who's been reviewing- please keep it up! And thank you to everyone who has followed and favourited! _judy12 _in answer to your comment about Virginia's name not being very French, in my mind that's because her father is English, and I wanted to show both sides of her heritage, like with her education at Beauxbatons _and _Hogwarts. ^.^ x ]

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Virginia waited in the drawing room, never even shifting positions, completely numb with shock, until Narcissa came back a few minutes later and escorted her to the room which was to be hers. It took Virginia a few minutes once she'd been left alone in the large space to realize that she could still be in this room forty years from now. And that was when she began to cry.

She couldn't bring herself to lie on the king-sized bed just yet - the ample supply of cushions had been arranged so neatly that she couldn't bear to disturb them. It struck her that the Malfoys must have either assumed that she would be their choice for Draco before she arrived, or have been seeing other girls before her, to have this room already set up for someone to move in. Although her mother seemed to think that she should have been honored to have been chosen, she couldn't feel that way about it.

The truth was, despite her tears, Virginia was angry. Angry that her parents had done this too her, without even prior warning. Angry that she'd left her childhood home this morning and wouldn't be returning for Merlin-knew how long, if at all. Angry that she was expected to live with people who might have well have been total strangers, only hours after meeting them. Angry that she would be married, and soon, judging by what Narcissa had said.

And she was scared. She couldn't help it, although she knew she should be stronger than that. She was scared of what her life was becoming, scared about how she would be expected to live. Scared about her upcoming..._marriage_. And, she had to admit, if not _scared,_ certainly intimidated by Lucius Malfoy. The way he'd been watching her, it felt as if _all evening_...She'd tried to avert her gaze, not meet his stares, but she had felt his cold eyes on her. At first she'd thought she was imagining it, but by the end of the evening she'd been certain. It was unnerving and set her hairs on edge, although now, in light of the true purpose of their dinner, she hoped he was only _assessing_ her as a bride for his son.

Growing slightly warm from the exertion of crying, Virginia kicked off the heels Narcissa had leant her, and tugged on the fastening of the cape. With her high emotions, she was tempted to toss the thing across the room, but it wasn't hers to mistreat, so she laid it carefully across the back of a chair. Besides, she liked Narcissa despite herself, and she needed to have at least one ally in this house.

Glancing at the excessively grand clock standing in the corner of the room, Virginia decided to take herself to bed, as it was pushing eleven, and frankly she was exhausted. She knew it would be hard to turn her mind off and sleep, but she was determined to try; all she wanted after the day she'd had was forget about it, and drift off to some place better.

She washed her face in the pristine, white marble ensuite bathroom, before pulling back the top two layers of the bed sheets and crawling in, resting her head on the nest of cushions. It wasn't hard to get comfortable, and despite her distress and anxiety, Virginia soon found herself slipping into troubled sleep.

*.*.*.*.*

Narcissa paced the corridor outside Virginia's room, trying to decide what she would say to the girl. She was normally good with words, but this was different. She had read the girl's face the night before as she took her to her room, and although she had maintained a dignified composure worthy of her pureblood status, she had recognized in her the same fear and distress that she had felt all those years earlier, when her parents had told her that she was to be married to a perfect stranger.

She had waited a few hours since she'd woken, but considering she was accustomed to rising at dawn this still rendered it relatively early for most other people, and at nearly nine, she was still concerned about disturbing Virginia in a state of undress, or perhaps even still asleep after the drama of the night before.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly on the solid oak door, and leaned in to hear a response. "Virginia?" she called after a minute of silence had passed, "It's Narcissa. May I come in?"

She heard a slight shuffling noise from within, and the door opened. Virginia stood before her, wrapped in a cream coloured blanket, her feet bare. Narcissa's eyes widened a fraction as she slipped into the room and shut the door behind her quickly. "I'm sorry-" Virginia stuttered, acutely embarrassed by her lack of suitable attire, "I overslept, and I didn't have anything to wear. My dress from last night has gone..."

"Not at all, darling," Narcissa reassured, her voice liquid sugar, but genuinely eager to comfort Virginia's pained expression. "It's my fault, I told the house-elves to take your dress to be washed. And I didn't think to stock your wardrobe before your trunk came. Wait here a minute-" she ordered, and disappeared out of the room, leaving Virginia once again surprised at her kindness. One would have been forgiven for mistaking the air of aristocratic sophistication in her voice for snobbery, but Virginia was familiar with her own mother's sneering tones, and Narcissa's were distinctly kinder.

Narcissa returned a minute later, carrying a black tea dress, patterned with white flowers, and showed it to Virginia: "Do you like it? You can always change later, when your trunk arrives..."

"Thank you," Virginia said, grateful at the older woman's thoughtfulness. The dress wasn't something she'd normally have worn; her mother disapproved of young women wearing dark colours, other than for serious occasions, believing pastels to be more fitting and attractive. After all, attracting a man of status had always been Antoinette's primary aim.

"I'll give you a minute to change, and then I'd like to talk to you, if I may?"

"Of course," Virginia nodded, and hurried into the bathroom. She slipped the dress over her head, and found that where it was a tad big, by tying the fabric belt more tightly she could maintain some of its shape. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, and tried to flatten her hair as best she could. She normally used a charm to sort her hair, but her wand was in the main bedroom, and she didn't fancy having to perform the charm in front of Narcissa. Resigning herself to her rather disheveled appearance, she made her way back into the bedroom area, where Narcissa had taken a seat on one of the love seats by the end of the bed.

"Come and sit," she invited, smiling in approval at the dress. It was cinched in at the middle, and accentuated Virginia's slim waist perfectly. "You really are very pretty," she commented lightly, and Virginia smiled weakly in thanks.

"How did you sleep?" Narcissa enquired, turning to face Virginia head on.

Virginia nodded, forcing a small smile. "Well, thank you."

"And you're happy with this room?"

"Oh yes, it's lovely. Thank you again."

"Good." Narcissa tilted her head to the side, and regarded Virginia closely. "You've been crying..."

"No, I-"

"Darling, it wasn't an accusation," she reassured softly, and Virginia's gaze fell downwards. She looked as if she was holding back tears. Narcissa sighed. "I haven't always been known as the..._nicest_, or _kindest_ of women. I know what my reputation is, whether you've heard of it or not. There are many things I can't refute. But, if there's one thing I am, it's devoted to my family. And, although I doubt you see it this way yet, you're soon to be part of my family. I've never had a daughter..." She paused, and Virginia detected a hint of sadness in her voice before she continued: "I don't want you to be unhappy here." She reached over and took Virginia's hand in hers. "I'm here if you need anything. You must have questions...?"

Virginia's eyes finally met hers, and she swallowed back the tears that had been threatening to fall. "I...It's all happened so quickly..."

"I know." Narcissa nodded sympathetically. "May I take it that your parents hadn't told you?"

Virginia nodded. "They just said we'd been invited to dinner here - I didn't know why. I didn't even know there was a marriage law..."

"The new Law took even Lucius by surprise, actually."

The two sat in an amicable silence for a moment. "When did you say the wedding would be, Narcissa?"

"Next week. It has to be soon under the Ministry Regulations. Lucius has suggested Monday, unless you'd rather another day...?"

"No, Monday's fine." Virginia answered quickly, swallowing the lump in her throat. "And I'm to stay here until then?"

"Yes. Which reminds me - your parents have sent along your house-elves. Your trunk should arrive any time now." Virginia smiled at this - she was very fond of Mimi, who'd been with her family since she was a child.

"Until the wedding," Narcissa continued, "We want to get to know you. And for you to get to know us. You didn't have much to do with Draco at Hogwarts?"

"I didn't," Virginia agreed, thinking back to their only moment of interaction, when he'd shouted at her to move. "What would you have me do until Monday?"

Narcissa thought about it. "We could start with a tour of the house today? Lucius doesn't like to be disturbed in the mornings, and he is often away from the Manor in the afternoons. With this morning as an exception, we'll expect to see you at breakfast, and we dine formally at eight in the evening. I doubt that you'll see my husband at any other time most days. As for Draco...I don't think it would be fair to say that he's got used to the idea of this marriage quite yet. I'd like to give you two some time to get to know one another."

"What does Draco do during the day?" Virginia asked, hoping it wasn't too impertinent a question.

"Lucius is training Draco in the family business. He often goes out to meet with the less..._important_ clients, and inspect property for his father. Honestly, Virginia, I barely see them aside from meals." Virginia nodded in understanding. She knew that her mother barely saw her father most days. It was the way it was. "I find ways to keep myself busy, and I hope you won't become too bored. I know that you've been studying since leaving school - we have a large library here. I also have various friends who visit, and whom I pay visits to. I must admit, in recent months I've become quite the patron of Diagon Alley." She smiled at Virginia. "I really do want you to be happy here. If there's anything you'd like to do...?"

"You're very kind, Narcissa, but I'm used to spending time alone. You really don't need to worry about entertaining me. The things you've mentioned sound lovely."

"You must feel welcome to invite friends to visit you. Who were you close with at Hogwarts?"

Virginia looked down, and shifted uncomfortably. She hated to admit that her two years at Hogwarts had been lonely ones. "I haven't kept in touch with friends from Hogwarts," she answered. "My closest friend still attends Beauxbatons, I write to her regularly..."

Narcissa smiled in sympathy. It was easy to forget how relatively little time Virginia had spent at Hogwarts. "Well, some of my friends have daughters, similar to your age. Many of them were tutored by governesses. I'm sure you'd get on very well with some them."

Virginia smiled gratefully. "May I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"When you married Lucius..."

"I was eighteen."

"And was it...?"

Narcissa nodded. "Yes, it was arranged by our parents." She sighed. "It was frightening. Lucius was a stranger to me - well, I'm sure you can relate to that...I remember feeling so...vulnerable. Powerless, even."

"But everything was...OK?" Virginia finished lamely. Narcissa merely smiled.

"I think it was easier for us than it is for young people today - we always expected an arranged marriage. I don't know if you did..."

"Not really."

"Draco certainly didn't. Until a couple of days ago, that is."

"Is Lucius much older than you?"

"Four years." Virginia nodded. "After the marriage, what will I be expected to do?"

"What I do," Narcissa laughed, and it almost sounded bitter. "Keep out of the men's way. Look pretty when they want to see you. Obey them. Only speak when spoken to. Bear their children. Of course, they think we do nothing all day. But we won't. We'll make the best of it." Virginia was strangely comforted by Narcissa's use of "we".

"I'm looking forward to having you around, Virginia."

*.*.*.*.*

"These are the House-Elf quarters-" Narcissa broke off, and both she and Virginia stood still, as Lucius' voice was heard coming from within. It was now nearly eleven o'clock, and Narcissa had assumed her husband to be in his study as she guided Virginia around the Manor. The House-Elf quarters were their last stop on the tour.

She put a firm hand on Virginia's arm and began to lead her away, but stopped again as Lucius' voice grew louder - he was clearly angry. Narcissa audibly swallowed. If Lucius was in one of his rages, Virginia certainly needed to be kept away. She began to walk away, trusting that Virginia would follow her lead, but the girl didn't move. She was leaning toward the direction of the shouting, and suddenly made for the door leading into the quarters.

"Virginia!" Narcissa called after her, but the girl didn't stop, and she was forced to follow her.

"I can hear Mimi," Virginia explained over her shoulder, following the sound of her cries. "Mimi? Mimi?!" She stopped short and gasped when she found her, cowering behind a table leg. Her eyes darted up, and she found Lucius glowering down at her house-elf, his lip curled in a cruel, sadistic sneer. He turned suddenly to face Narcissa and Virginia, noting how Narcissa had grabbed Virginia's arm to hold her back: the girl looked like she would throw herself between her elf and his cane if it came to it.

"What did you do to her?" Virginia practically screeched, spotting the cut on Mimi's brow, and shocking even herself with her tone. She tried to wriggle free of Narcissa's firm hold, but the older woman was surprisingly strong. Lucius slammed his cane against the table leg, making both Virginia and the elf jump, and effectively blocking them off from one another.

"Your _elf_, Virginia," he spat, "Needed to be punished. I took the liberty myself. I'm certain you don't object to that?" It wasn't a question.

Virginia opened her mouth to protest, but felt Narcissa tighten her grip on her arm, as if in warning, and she remembered what she had told her earlier. The pure anger in Lucius' cold eyes terrified her. She shook her head mutely, cursing her own cowardice. "Excellent," Lucius sneered. "I would hate to for you to think badly of me - I was merely doing what was necessary." His gaze shot up to his wife. "Narcissa, take Virginia someplace else, please. Her trunk has just arrived. This _creature_ can assist her with it when I'm finished with her."

"Come, Virginia," Narcissa commanded, tugging on her arm. Virginia's eyes welled with tears as she met the petrified eyes of Mimi. Her parents were hardly House-Elf activists, but they rarely 'punished' the elves, and Mimi had never been abused in such a way.

"Please, please stop," she begged as Narcissa pulled her away. "Please!" Lucius muttered a spell and the door slammed in the two women's faces.

*.*.*.*.*

Virginia could barely look at Mimi when she was finally allowed to help her mistress unpack. She had begged Narcissa to ask Lucius to stop, but the older woman told her it was useless, and refused to go back. Seeing that Virginia was angry, she decided to give her some time alone, and sent Bron up with her trunk. It was now nearly dinner time, and Virginia knew that in only a few minutes she'd be forced to face the Malfoys once again. This time, all at once.

She had changed, at Narcissa's suggestion, in a vanilla coloured bateau-neck dress, which stopped just above the knee. She stood before the floor length mirror, and brushed her hair methodically, trying to calm her breathing as she faced her reflection. Her eye lids were a tad swollen from her tears earlier, and her face was pale. She pinched her cheeks to bring some colour into them, a trick her mother had taught her before she was allowed to wear make-up, or learn beauty-charms.

Her mother had spent many years trying to teach her daughter _l'art de la séduction, _but the majority of her tips had been wasted on Virginia, who could think of nothing more vain or foolish than learning how to, for instance, lower one's eyes in a certain manner to charm a man, or how to style one's hair parting to best attract a wealthy husband. She had never seen eye-to-eye with her mother.

Glancing at the clock, Virginia decided to make her way down to the dining hall, albeit reluctantly. She didn't want to risk angering Lucius further after the incident earlier, and Narcissa had said that they dined "formally" in the evenings.

When she reached the entrance hall, it struck her that she'd been in this Manor for twenty-four hours now. A draught of cold air hit her and she crossed her arms, rubbing her upper arms as she carried on walking towards the dining room. She couldn't remember ever having been in a colder house.

*.*.*.*.*

**[Please leave me a review, I'd really appreciate it! x ]**


	5. Chapter 5

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

[I'm so sorry for the delay! Family problems and school have kept me from updating :( But I'm back now (for today at least!) Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited! It means so much to me every time I see a new review or reader. Please keep it up! ^.^ x ]

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Lucius drummed his fingers impatiently on the wooden table. Although she wasn't technically _late _yet, Virginia was pushing it - the clock was going to strike eight any second now. Lucius Malfoy did not like to be kept waiting.

His cold eyes bore into his wife, seated mutely opposite him. In the absence of the girl herself to take out his frustration on, he stared at Narcissa, waiting for her to meet his gaze, which she was stubbornly avoiding. She'd been wary of him since the incident with the elf earlier; he recognized this type of behaviour from her. The fear had been much more common in the earliest years of their marriage, but occasionally reappeared, at times like these.

She finally glanced towards him, and he raised an eyebrow, the tapping of his long fingers slowing ominously. Narcissa's eyes darted to the clock. "It's not quite eight yet, Husband." _Husband_, Lucius thought sneeringly. _She _must _be on edge tonight_.

"I am aware of that," he drawled, his eyes narrowing. He didn't miss the Narcissa's small gulp. "Thank you, _wife._"

Draco, who had been sitting to Lucius' right, chose this moment to cough. Lucius turned on him: "Manners, boy!" he snarled. In all honesty, Lucius wasn't entirely sure why he was in such an utterly foul mood. Business was prosperous at the moment, he'd made significant financial gains that very day. He'd even taken out a slight annoyance on the girl's elf - it had been in his way. _It won't make that mistake again_, he mused.

Something was bothering him, something he couldn't quite place. Something about _her_. The girl. _Virginia_. Aside from the elf-incident, he hadn't had anything to do with her since the dinner of the previous night, but he couldn't shake her from his thoughts. The way she'd looked in Narcissa's cloak when she'd appeared in the doorway, her modest demeanor, her elegant beauty - _Stop it, Lucius!_, he scolded himself. _She's for Draco_.

The clock struck eight. Lucius inhaled a sharp breath, and slammed his fist down on the table. Narcissa jumped in her seat. Draco flinched, almost unnoticeably. "She's late," he sneered, his tone contemptuously low. "Narcissa, bring her here at once." His wife stood immediately and darted from the room. Draco sat still as a rock, a sour expression plastered across his face. He was still sulking. It was infuriating.

Lucius continued to drum his fingers, the speed increasingly with every second he was kept waiting. The elves lining the room shifted uncomfortably. Fortunately for them, he chose to ignore it. If it had been Narcissa who'd been late... A cruel smirk spread across Lucius' lips - he would have ensured she was punished. He swallowed, and felt a surprising heat rise in him, as images of Virginia flashed through his mind, completely helpless and at his mercy... _Stop it, man_. He repressed the desire growing within him.

*.*.*.*.*

"Virginia," Narcissa called, and the girl hurried her steps to meet the older woman.

"I'm sorry," Virginia panted slightly, "I got lost. I thought I would be early-"

"Come now, Lucius doesn't like to be kept waiting." Narcissa took her arm and led her briskly towards the dining room. The two paused before the closed door, and Narcissa took a minute to straighten the strap of Virginia's dress, before nodding and smiling weakly. As if on cue, the door swung open, and Narcissa stepped in, Virginia on her heels. Draco and Lucius rose, as was custom. There was a tense silence.

Virginia paused before she took her seat, and met Lucius' eyes with bravery: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Sir." Her nerves were not betrayed by her voice, and Lucius was slightly impressed, despite himself. And, Heaven help him, the way she called him _Sir_... He nodded curtly, and she sat down, the men then following her lead.

The four were served in silence, with only the sounds of silver spoons hitting china to fill the air. Narcissa kept her gaze lowered, although she was surprised that Lucius had said nothing more about Virginia's lateness. Draco fixed his eyes on an imaginary spot on the pristine table cloth. Virginia smiled in thanks at the house-elves who served her. Lucius watched Virginia intently. He couldn't help himself - the way the candlelight was hitting her cheek bones in that light... _Stop it, Lucius. This is getting ridiculous_.

"Virginia," he said suddenly, taking the others by surprise. She raised her eyes to his in acknowledgment, and was surprised to find that he didn't look angry. His tone had lost it's terse edge as well. "Have you settled into your room?"

"I have, thank you, Sir." _Again, 'Sir'..._ Lucius shifted slightly in his chair, the fire growing inside him.

"And it's to your liking?" he asked gruffly. _What was she doing to him...?_

"Very much so." He nodded, and picked up his fork, beginning to eat. His focus on his dinner practically non-existent, however, his eyes quickly found themselves trained on Virginia once again. She glanced up and met his gaze inadvertently, before quickly looking away again. He spotted a faint blush rising in her cheeks. _Am I having a similar effect on her?_ he wondered, half hopefully.

Virginia, meanwhile, was trying her hardest not to do or say anything that might irritate Lucius, while simultaneously attempting not to be too put out by her future husband's coldness. She was convinced that Draco hadn't once acknowledged her, apart from rising when she entered. She could still feel Lucius' eyes on her, and couldn't work out why he was being so..._nice_, if he was still angry. _Or maybe he's not_, she mused, but that didn't explain why he was watching her eat so intently. Either way, she tried her hardest not to return his probing gaze, and ate her food quietly.

*.*.*.*.*

The dinner passed uneventfully; the five courses were served with no issues, and no more harsh words were spoken by Lucius, whose temper quickly dissolved as he grew increasingly intrigued by the girl. If anything, he was growing frustrated. If she'd been any other woman, he had to admit to himself, he would have found a way to make clear his desires to her, to have her himself. But she wasn't any other woman: she was to be married to his son. Draco's lack of enthusiasm only served to frustrate his father more.

Lucius' thoughts strayed to his most recent mistress, a young auburn haired woman, Lacey. He'd ended things with her over a month ago - she was boring him. He was still with Narcissa once, maybe twice a week, but frankly their passion was no longer present. He hadn't felt the urges he was suffering now for a good while. There really was something about Virginia...And she clearly had no idea what she was doing to him. Which only made it worse, somehow.

As the elves cleared the dessert plates, Lucius made a snap decision: "Virginia, I'd like to see you in my office." The girl's eyes snapped up to meet his, alarm clear in them. She gulped and nodded, and looked to Narcissa, as if for permission, or perhaps reassurance. His wife gave the smallest of nods.

Lucius rose first, followed by his family and Virginia, and waited by the door for Virginia to make her way over to him. She looked petrified. He held the door open for her, and she walked in front of him. Narcissa followed them out, and Lucius watched as she ascended the stairs, shooting Virginia a small smile, Draco heading in the opposite direction, probably to his quarters.

"Come," Lucius commanded, and strode off, Virginia following a few steps behind. Her mind was racing - what did he want? Was she in trouble? She tried to hold her head high as she walked behind him, through the winding corridors, until they reached his study. He held the door open for her, and she stepped in, inhaling his deep, scented cologne as she passed. He didn't leave her much room, and she was forced to come very close to him.

"Have a seat, Virginia," he offered, his velvet voice sending a shiver down her spine. She perched on the edge of the seat he'd indicated, and forced a smile on her face, trying to hide her nerves.

Lucius turned his back on her, and strode over to a side board, pulling a old-looking bottle of something off a shelf. He produced two tumblers, and Virginia could hear the tinkling as whatever it was he was pouring landed on the ice in the glasses. He returned the bottle, and walked back towards her, carrying a tumbler in each hand. The liquid was a deep amber in colour, but Virginia didn't know what it was, only that it looked distinctly alcoholic. Lucius took the seat closest to her's, and handed her a glass. His hand brushed hers as he did so, and she suspected that it wasn't accidental.

Lucius watched as Virginia took the tumbler, and noticed that she didn't take a sip until he had. She drank the smallest amount, and tried to conceal a grimace - he'd given her the strongest brandy he had, one of his personal favorites. He smirked as she swallowed, and gave a small cough. He drained his glass in one go, and saw her pretty grey eyes widen. He set the tumbler down on the table to his left, and Virginia followed, a hand coming quickly up to touch her hair, as it by habit. Perhaps a nervous habit...Lucius found himself longing to feel her hair. _Stop it, man_.

He was finding himself ever more intrigued by her, and leant back in his black leather chair. He placed his elbows on the arms of the chair, and steepled his hands in front of him, as she shifted uncomfortably before him, tugging at the hem of her dress to pull it further over her knees. When she finally met his eyes a minute or so later, she found him stroking his lower lip with his forefinger. She found his silence and the look in his eyes remarkably unnerving.

"I really am sorry I was so late for dinner, Sir," she said after a moment of silence had passed, her soft voice lilting in the charming manner that most Beauxbatons women developed. Despite this, Lucius thought she sounded slightly cold - maybe as a result of her fear, or perhaps she was still upset over her damned house-elf.

"It is forgotten, Virginia," he replied, trying to sound forgiving. Her eyes darted away from his again, and he resigned himself to what must follow. His voice was stiff when he said it: "I'm sorry about our little incident earlier - perhaps you are unused to the nature of our..._dominion_ over the house-elves?"

Virginia's eyes met his in surprise, and he saw her trying to work out what to make of this almost-apology. "Uh...Thank you, Sir..." she said at last, uncertainly. Lucius leant forward in his chair; he was less than a meter away from the girl now.

"Call me Lucius." Virginia nodded, and Lucius seized the moment, placing a firm yet gentle hand on his stocking-clad knee. His gaze never left hers, and he saw her eyes widen as she inhaled quickly.

Virginia sat rock still as felt Lucius' hand on her knee. His eyes were dark as he looked into her's, and she hoped her eyes might give away her fear, so that he'd stop. He didn't. She didn't know what to do - normally if a man his age rested a hand on her, she'd assume it was a friendly gesture, but Lucius' expression and the way he'd been watching her so intently had her wondering if it was something more. Not to mention her gut instinct, which was telling her to get away from him, and as fast as possible.

In fact, if it hadn't been her host, and future father-in-law, touching her, she would have done just that. She would have stood up immediately and told him that she wouldn't stand for such behaviour. She knew as well as anybody that she could come across as meek and mild, but when it came to it, Virginia Renwick had a heart of fire, and a flaming self-respect that rivaled even the most fearsome Gryffindor.

As it was, however, something was stopping her from getting away from this man. It was partially due to her fear of him, partially due to her inbred manners and their guest-host relationship, partially because she knew that whatever she did now she would have to face every time she saw him. And, she had to admit, something slightly more, although it was minute part of her reasoning, more subconscious than something she was even fully aware of. The way he was looking at her...Intimidating, yes. Frightening, perhaps. But so...intense. It set her heart racing, and if she was being completely honest, not from nerves alone.

So she sat still, and made no move to run from him, as Lucius began to gently caress her leg. His other hand came up to cup her cheek, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath as he exhaled, too close to her cheek to be even vaguely appropriate. Her intuitions were being confirmed - he had been doing more than assessing her all those times she'd felt his gaze on her. She gulped and tried to sit still, like a deer caught in the hunter's path.

"Are you looking forward to marrying my son?" Lucius murmured, his voice reverberating into her ear at such close proximity, and it struck her as a completely incongruous question. She tried to think of a suitable answer, but it was hard to think which him so close to her.

"It came as a surprise to me..." she finally managed, and Lucius ran a long, cold finger across her cheek, letting it rest momentarily on her lip, before he cupped her chin, and pulled away slightly to look at her head on.

"You were my choice for Draco, did you know?" he asked, his voice low and smooth as velvet. A shiver ran down Virginia's spine, and it took all of her strength not to pull back from his intense gaze, or break eye contact. He leaned in close again, his lips tickling her ear. The words he spoke next carried more meaning than Virginia cared to contemplate:

"I always get what I want."

[Aaah, oh Lucius :p Sorry it's not as long as usual, but I really just wanted to get this out there - I've been working on it on and off for ages! Please tell me what you think! What would you do if you were Virginia? What do you think Lucius really wants? What's Virginia going to when she finally gets away from him? Will she tell Narcissa?! Until next time ^.^ Much love x ]


	6. Chapter 6

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

**[I really hope you enjoy this chapter :) And please review at the end - I shall send you a virtual hug if you do :p x]**

**CHAPTER SIX**

_Virginia,_

_I trust that the house-elves and your belongings reached you? _

_Narcissa - such a lovely woman - has informed us that your wedding to Draco will take place on Monday - this is tomorrow, Poussin! You must prepare! _

_I have sent your dress to Narcissa - it is the one I wore, and your grandmother wore before me. Make sure you try it on as soon as possible - it may need to be altered. (It is lucky the Malfoys haven't known you long enough to notice your recent weight-gain, yes Poussin?)_

_As for tomorrow, we will come to the Manor before the Ceremony, of course, and stay for the Banquet afterwards. I trust that the good-manners your father and I, and Beauxbatons, of course, instilled in you will carry you through tomorrow. It is tomorrow evening which concerns me most, Poussin._

_I have always tried to be the model for you of what a good wife is - you should be obedient, dutiful, and respectful. Draco will not appreciate a cold and icy wife. You must be your best, no matter how you may feel about him (although really, Poussin, you should be honoured by this match...Ungrateful child). _

_You must obey your husband, as you obeyed your father while under his roof. There are too many witches these days who believe in this 'equality' business - rubbish! He is your master. You must try to please him, in any way you can. Never tell him 'no'. Be sweet and kind and obedient. None of your stubbornness, Poussin! And never contradict him. _

_He may even be pleased with you. _

_Send Lucius and Narcissa our regards._

Virginia felt tears prick in her eyes and slammed the parchment down, as much as one can slam parchment onto a blanket. She was still in bed, having only just been disturbed by Mimi, who had delivered the letter to her. _How can she be so cruel? _Virginia asked herself, fighting down the tears that threatened to spill: _My own mother. _

Did she really think the letter was helpful, or encouraging? Reassuring it definitely was not, but Antoinette never aimed for comfort or reassurance. Virginia scan-read the letter once again, her moist eyes darting over her mother's writing. There was no maternal love present in the letter, but then, Virginia mused, there never had been.

She had to wonder why her mother had even bothered with most of the letter - she'd drilled it all into her daughter plenty of times before - 'your husband is your master', 'don't be disobedient', 'try to please him - if you can'. Virginia could just hear her mother's harsh French accent as she crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it across the room. It hit the wall and bounced off it, rolling a small distance across the carpet and coming to a stop under her dresser.

The letter had struck a nerve for another reason - it reminded Virginia of the thoughts which had plagued the back of her mind since she'd known about the marriage - the wedding night. She gulped just thinking about it. Especially after last night...

Lucius had leaned in close after he'd said those words..._Those words: "I always get what I want"_. They echoed even now in Virginia's mind, as if he was sitting right behind her, whispering into her ear. It had seemed as if he might kiss her, but he'd pulled back suddenly, his eyes dark and glinting in the light of the fire. He had slowly run his hand down her thigh and to her knee until he removed it from her completely. Virginia was left feeling slightly faint, her heart beating at twice its normal rate as she struggled to look as if she was breathing normally.

Lucius had sat back in his chair, steepling his hands again and watching her, to see what she'd do next. In the end, she got to her feet shakily. "I should retire now, Lucius," she'd said, her voice hoarse. "Thank you for the drink."

He merely nodded, smirking at her flushed face, and watched with pleasure the alluring way her hips swayed naturally as she left his study.

Virginia had shut the door behind her, and refrained from sinking to the ground and burying her head in her hands. She rushed to back up to her room, almost but not quite getting lost in the Manor's maze of cold corridors, splashed her flushed cheeks with cold water, and then got straight into bed. Her mind was racing, her heart wouldn't relent in its hammering within her chest.

And when she'd finally slept, she had been plagued with thoughts of Lucius Malfoy, eventually waking up with a fright after a particularly vivid dream in which he'd tied her to a tree outside in the darkness. A cold sweat covered her as she sat bolt upright among her pillows. And then it hadn't been long before Mimi had come in, wielding the letter.

The thought hit her - breakfast was in less than half an hour..._Merlin_, Virginia groaned, massaging her temples as she tried to gather her muddled thoughts. Her mind strayed back to the wedding night...

She couldn't imagine how uncomfortable it would be to spend an hour with Draco, who had barely said two words to her since she'd met him, let alone a night. A night _together_. In which certain _things _were expected to take place.

She shuddered, her mind fluttering back to the way that Lucius, her groom-to-be's _father_, for Merlin's sake, had touched her leg the night before. It seemed he was more interested in her than his own son...She wondered, not for the first time, what he wanted from her. What had been his true meaning when he uttered those words...? _I always get what I want..._ What did he want exactly?

And, perhaps more importantly, though she was loath to admit it even to herself, what did _she _want? In retrospect, she thought, it really wouldn't have been hard to get out of the situation Lucius had put her in last night. Even if she'd offended him, what could he have done? He could hardly have revealed to anyone else what he was doing to her to make her leave so suddenly. She'd had the leverage she would have needed to escape his hands, his gaze, but she hadn't. She had stayed where she was, and let him run his hand over her thigh, through the thin material of her dress. It was indecent, and improper, and inappropriate. She had been scared, but from her own reaction as much as because of what Lucius was doing. The way he looked at her...it made her feel attractive, in a way she'd never experienced before. No man had ever looked at her like Lucius did...

Sighing in confusion and worry, Virginia swung her legs off the side of her bed and set about her morning routine, washing quickly before fixing her hair into a simple up-do and donning a pastel pink off-the-shoulder dress, covered in delicate lace. She even spritzed a small amount of perfume onto her neck. Who she was trying to impress, she didn't care to think about, and quickly applied a subtle layer of lip gloss, before checking the time - five minutes until she was due in the dining hall. Determined not to be late again, she set off.

*.*.*.*.*

Narcissa was watching her husband warily out of the bottom of her eye. He was different this morning, and it was rather unnerving. And what with Draco, even more solemn than usual this morning, clearly not enthused by the thought of his wedding tomorrow, the atmosphere in the dining hall as the Malfoys waited for Virginia was tense.

Narcissa couldn't help but wonder what had gone on last night between Lucius and Virginia, in the time between dinner had finished and he'd come into her room, unexpected, later in the evening. Of course, she'd noticed the number of times her husband had been busy watching the girl over dinner, but never suspected the true extent of what was going through his mind as he did so. And then he'd taken her into his study, and she hadn't heard from either of them until Lucius had strode into her quarters a couple of hours, smelling of brandy, or something equally strong, and forced her up against the nearest wall, kissing her with abandon before throwing her down onto the bed, none too gently, and taking her with a passion she hadn't seen in him for many months.

Of course, Narcissa hadn't minded this twist of events in her otherwise mundane evening, but it definitely hadn't been expected. Nonetheless, she was used to Lucius' dominant nature, both in and out of their marriage bed, and had learned to enjoy it. It was just not what she had been expecting, and had left her a little bemused.

Adding to her confusion was the way he'd left so suddenly after their frantic coupling, and barely spoken a word to her this morning. And the way he was watching the door, clearly waiting for Virginia. It was all so strange. Narcissa shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and hoped that the girl wouldn't be late again. She wasn't sure that Lucius would be so restrained a second time.

Thankfully, Virginia appeared a couple of minutes before she was due, and entered the room gracefully, looking slightly calmer than Narcissa had seen her before now - what was going on this morning?! She watched as Virginia smiled politely at Draco and Lucius, who had stood to greet her, and didn't miss the glance she exchanged with Lucius as he pulled out her chair for her, and helped her in, ever the gentleman.

Nor did Narcissa miss the waft of perfume that carried down the table to where she was seated. Virginia still looked slightly nervous, and was not completely relaxed in their presence by any means, but the frightened girl of yesterday had vanished. She could only imagine what her husband had said to her last night to calm her down so much...

*.*.*.*.*

Breakfast was eaten in near silence, but this was nothing new. The only difference to the norm was that Lucius barely made a dent in reading his morning paper, whereas more often than not he'd have read the whole thing before the plates were cleared. As had become his custom of late, the girl was far more interesting to him. And she looked _so pretty_ this morning, he thought to himself, almost smugly: _I wonder if that's for my benefit?_

Although Lucius knew that he'd frightened her last night, he also recognized the look he'd seen in her eyes as it dawned on her what he wanted, and he was confident that no young woman, however well-born and dignified, could resist his _charm_. His aristocratic arrogance, he had always thought, was part of this very charm, which had had so many witches fall to him in the past. When he set his mind to something, he got it. With no exceptions. In Lucius Malfoy's experience, in the business world, there was nowhere that money or intimidation couldn't get you. And with women, there was nowhere that a glass of brandy and firm caress wouldn't get you access to. Although it might take longer with some than others, women always gave in to him. It was never a matter of force - they always ended up wanting it as much as he did. That was his power.

When the four had finished eating Lucius rose and left with Draco in tow; he had some business to attend to before noon, but planned to leave Draco and Virginia some time alone today - after all, he mused, tomorrow they'd be husband and wife.

"I've been invited to an old friend's today, Virginia," Narcissa told her once the door had shut behind the men. Her tone was warm, and betrayed none of her suspicions, which were barely formed yet. "Under normal circumstances she would extend the invitation to you, but she's in somewhat of a..._state_ at the moment, and she's asked that I attend her alone." Virginia nodded, relieved at the prospect of some time alone herself today.

"I am sorry to leave you alone," Narcissa continued, "But I believe that Lucius plans to return Draco this afternoon so that the two of you can spend some time together. Until then...the Manor is yours. Make use of the house-elves..." She struggled to think of things to suggest for Virginia, but the girl cut in reassuringly:

"I have some letters I'd like to write, Narcissa. Don't worry about me." Narcissa smiled fondly at her, and they left the dining hall together.

"What time is Draco expecting me?" Virginia asked as Narcissa was putting on her travelling cloak.

"I think about three o'clock?" Narcissa half-guessed, "Some time after lunch. I'm sure he'll come and find you though - just do what you like until then." She leant down and gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading to the apparition point, leaving Virginia alone in the Manor.

*.*.*.*.*

Virginia returned to her room, determined to make the most of her time alone to gather her thoughts and finally get round to writing to her friend from Beauxbatons - she didn't even know about the wedding, and Virginia was saddened that she wouldn't be able to leave the Academy to attend.

She'd known Adriene Deniau since they were eleven, and had been close friends since, although had barely seen each other in recent months. Adriene was Virginia's mirror - where Virginia was introverted, Adriene was the centre of the party (and a regular hostess); where Adriene acted intuitively, Virginia never made a decision without long hours of contemplation. Where Virginia was prone to over-thinking her worries, Adriene lived with a light-heart, flitting like a swift bird from one moment to the next, and where Virginia was polite, having been raised by strict parents, and an only child, Adriene had been the forth of five daughters, and had grown up shouting to be heard, a habit which she had only shaken in her teenage years. In short, Adriene was the fire to Virginia's water, and as a pair the girls had made a formidable team at Beauxbatons.

Separated, Virginia felt the loss deeply, and had made every effort to visit her friend regularly whilst at Hogwarts. But with the war, and being pulled out of the school, her mother had banned trips, and had even, Virginia later learned, been intercepting the girls' letters to each other, in fear that they may be trying to organize a secret meeting. Virginia had never forgiven her mother for that - amongst many, many other occasions.

She settled herself at her desk, and found some ink, laying down the parchment, and began writing in French:

_Adriene,_

_I miss you so dreadfully, Addy! Oh, so much has happened - I wish you were here._

_Two days ago, my parents received an invitation to dinner at Malfoy Manor - have you heard of the Malfoys? I expect you have, they have been quite notorious. My father did business with Lucius Malfoy - in fact, your father probably has as well. Lucius' son, Draco, was two years ahead of me at Hogwarts, so I never had anything to with him, until now. _

_As you can imagine - you've met my parents - they didn't tell me anything. Mother dressed me up, and we apparated to the house - it is so grand, Addy. I feel like I could lose myself in the dark halls and never be found. I met Lucius, and Draco, and Mrs Malfoy - Narcissa is lovely. It's the father and son who worry me. _

_You see, Addy, it was later revealed to me why I was there at all - they want me to marry Draco! No, more than that - I am being forced to marry him! Tomorrow. Apparently, there is some 'marriage law' here in Britain, and Lucius chose me for his son - it seems all the English girls were taken, or so Mother says. I have no choice in the matter. Why would I?_

_So the Malfoys asked me (really, told me), that I am to stay with them until the wedding, supposedly to get to know them, although I haven't spent more than a minute with Draco. As I said, Narcissa is a lovely woman, and I feel I have an ally in this house, but Lucius...Lucius. _

_He has been watching me, Addy. It's across between the way that boys watch you when you throw your parties, and the way that a hunter watches his prey. It's disconcerting. It's so strange, Addy. Men have never looked at me the way Lucius does. It's put me so on edge, and this is from the very first night. His eyes have been on me every time I've been near him._

_He is not a gentle man, nor does he seem to be a kind one. On my first morning in the Manor I came across him beating Mimi with his cane. Even Narcissa seems a little afraid of him. He is simply intimidating. Any manner of crime could be hidden behind those eyes of his, and I don't care to think what he's done, or seen, in the past. _

_And then, last night, we had dinner, the four of us, as is their custom. I was late because I had got lost before hand, and I was so scared that he would be angry with me - but he wasn't. I could feel his eyes on mine as I ate, and then afterwards he asked me to come to his study with him. I couldn't breathe as I followed him, Addy. _

_He gave me a drink - brandy, perhaps? You would know much better than I! And then...Addy, what I am to tell you next must remain strictly between us, because I would not want anyone else to know of it. Lucius started to run his hand up and down by thigh, caressing my knee. He stroked my cheek, and even touched my lip at one point. He was so close to me, it was suffocating. And then he whispered into my ear: "I always get what I want". _

_The problem, Addy, is that I don't know what he wants. I'm so confused about it all - last night, I was torn between slapping him and running away, and just letting him do it. There is something so hypnotizing about the man. The way he looked at me...It was inescapable. I felt compelled to stay, and not through fear, or intimidation, but because I simply couldn't bring myself to leave. I don't know what to do, or how to act. This morning I found myself putting on perfume before breakfast! Here I am, betrothed to marry tomorrow, and a sub-conscience part of me appears to be trying to impress not my groom, but my future father-in-law. I am not even repulsed by my own behaviour, and that makes it worse. Addy, tell me what I should do!_

_The other part of it is this: I feel so guilty for Narcissa's sake. She has been so kind to me, and on my second night here I was in her husband's study, letting him caress me. And I am quite sure it wasn't innocent. I don't know what she knows about it - perhaps she is used to it, as I expect that she is no stranger to Lucius' mistresses, but I must assume that it is a secret between Lucius and me - her husband and me. _

_And tomorrow I am to be married to their son, who has done nothing but sulk and shoot me the odd half-hearted glare this whole time. I wish you could be here, Adriene, I really do._

_Please, write me back as soon as you can - tell me what to do! I need your guidance so desperately! _

_I do hope all is well at Beauxbatons. _

_With all my love,_

_V_

*.*.*.*.*

**[Please leave me a line! :) What do you think Lucius will do next? Will Narcissa become suspicious? What will Virginia's conscience tell her to do? Let me know what you think! x]**


	7. Chapter 7

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

*Warnings: strong language, sexual themes, an intense situation... :p*

**[Thank you to those of you who reviewed - virtual hugs coming your way! ;) I'd love to hear from more of you though! I also must just mention ****_rileypotter17_****'s story, "The Lover" - I'm so obsessed at the moment! You should definitely go check it out :) x]**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

When she had sent the letter off, using one of the Malfoys' many owls, which she assumed she had permission to use, Virginia found herself stopping to think. She knew that this was not a wise move, and so decided to try to keep busy. However, having exhausted every possible object of interest in her room (of which there were very few), she soon found herself wandering around the empty Manor, looking for something else to keep her mind off the worries which were nagging at her conscience.

The house-elves were all busy cleaning and performing other chores, and the few that didn't tremble in the presence in humans were too busy to stop and chat. Even Mimi and Bron were busy with laundry.

In the end, Virginia found herself in the corridor of Lucius' study. Narcissa had steered her clear of the place on their original tour, and so she had only been near the place last night, and then she'd been too preoccupied with Lucius to really notice her surroundings. _Keep walking, Virginia, _she told herself, knowing that her feline-like sense of curiosity had got her in trouble in the past, but something was luring her towards the heavy wooden door. She passed it once, walking to the other end of the corridor. No one was around. None of the Malfoys were due back for hours. The house-elves were busy...

_It'll probably be locked, _she told herself, walking past the door a second time, willing her legs to keep moving. She wasn't even sure exactly why she wanted to go in there so much. Something was drawing her in, and she couldn't shake her inexplicable curiosity.

Coming to an abrupt halt on her third walk past, she hastily grabbed onto the door handle, half praying that it would be locked so that she could move on. It was not. The door was heavy, but perfectly possible to open, and swung into the office. Virginia stepped in quickly, and shut the door behind her, letting go of the deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding in.

She turned slowly to face the room, which was dark except for where light was pouring through a large window. Directly opposite her was Lucius' grand mahogany desk, and behind it his sturdy leather chair. To her left, the fireplace and dark leather armchairs in which the pair had sat yesterday evening, and to the right of that the side board in which Lucius kept his drinks. The other side of the office was lined with ceiling-high bookcases, stuffed with ancient looking volumes, and the odd display jar, containing items Virginia didn't want to look too closely at.

She moved slowly, making sure she didn't touch anything. Perhaps the most striking thing about the room was its deep scent, musky and slightly spicy. It smelt like Lucius, and Virginia found herself inhaling deeply.

She walked up and down the line of books, skimming the titles. Many of the books appeared to have titles in Latin or Greek, and she could only imagine what sort of dark magic they held, judging by their dark covers.

Coming to Lucius' desk, Virginia's heart missed a beat, and she froze where she was, like a frightened rabbit. She could hear footsteps approaching the door, and the unmistakable, ominous tapping noise of Lucius' cane in time with the steps. She gulped, her heart beating at a terrified pace. Her eyes scanned the room in desperation - the only place to hide would be behind the desk. Her fight or flight instinct failed her, and she chose neither option, choosing instead to throw herself under the large desk, just as the door handle turned, and the lights shot on.

Virginia's heart was in her mouth as she positioned herself under the desk, which thankfully concealed her fully, at least from the other side. She prayed that Lucius wouldn't come round to the chair side, let alone sit down. The chances that he wouldn't kick her as he sat down and discover her were petrifying low. She placed a firm hand over her mouth in an attempt to conceal her heavy breathing, and curled herself into a ball, loathing herself for being so stupid. _What was I thinking?!_

She could barely breathe as she heard Lucius' steps coming closer, coming right towards his desk. She heard him set something down on the top, presumably papers, and hoped that he would turn and leave, but he kept moving, resting his cane on the side of the desk, inches from where Virginia was hiding.

And then he pulled out his chair. And sat down. It was all Virginia could do not to curse under her breath at her own foolishness and bad luck - _he should be out on business!_ she moaned silently. _Curiosity killed the cat..._

Lucius' shoes, by some grace of God, hadn't come into contact with the body under his desk, and he now set about shuffling papers, from what Virginia could make out of the sounds. His legs were so close that she could feel his heat radiating from him. Her position was becoming dreadfully uncomfortable, but she didn't dare move, resigning herself to any number of minutes, hours even, under there if only he would leave without discovering her, and she could go back to her room an innocent.

She suddenly thought - if Lucius was back, Draco was probably with him. And if Draco was back, it wouldn't be long before he came looking for her. And if he couldn't find her, she might be declared missing, and-

"I know you're down there, Virginia." Lucius' velvet voice cut sharply into Virginia's panicked thoughts, and she nearly had a heart attack, rising involuntarily and nearly hitting her head on the underside of the desk. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, wishing the earth would swallow her up. _How did he know?_

Lucius slowly pushed his chair out of the way, and leant down, peering under his desk. Virginia's terrified eyes met his, and he smirked, holding out a mock-gentlemanly hand to help her up. She took it, pure fear, embarrassment, and shame etched across her pretty face. She got to her feet with shaking knees and brushed her dress down, straightening the skirt, as Lucius looked on with vague amusement, his eyes giving nothing away.

In truth, he had known the minute she'd entered his study, and it was the reason he had returned so early. He'd always had protective charms guarding his office, but no one before now had ever dared to go in uninvited - he couldn't fault her for her boldness, even if it was foolish beyond measure.

And, he couldn't deny: he'd hoped that he would catch her before she got out, but the hiding-under-the-desk move - it was almost too good to be true. He refrained from smirking gleefully; now he got to watch the girl squirm before him, at a distinct disadvantage.

"I am _so _sorry, Sir," Virginia began, her voice soft and timid sounding.

"Are you?" Lucius asked her, his aristocratic leer prominent. "I think you're just sorry you got caught."

Virginia shook her head vehemently, and a lock of hair fell from it's up-do, framing one side of her face. "I shouldn't have been in here..."

"No, you shouldn't have been," Lucius cut across her, trying and succeeding to sound furious and intimidating. Virginia squirmed under his gaze. In reality, Lucius was finding it hard to be angry with the girl - she'd clearly done no harm, (other than letting her nosiness get the better of her), and he was enjoying watching her like this, sadistic in his delight at her fearful expression. He continued to interrogate her, part of him interested to see how far he could push her before she'd break down:

"And what were you doing in _my_ office, uninvited?" he asked cruelly, his lip curled in the fear-inducing manner he'd so perfected in his time.

Virginia could barely meet his eye. "I-I was exploring the Manor, Sir," _Again with the 'sir', _Lucius thought to himself, refraining from outright smirking at her. "I couldn't remember which room this was, and-"

"Liar!" Lucius slammed his fist down on his desk, and Virginia jumped, her cheeks flushing a beautiful shade of red.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, her voice cracking as she said it - _this is it, _Lucius thought, sadistically happy - _she's going to break_.

"Why were you really in my study?" Lucius pushed her, standing up so that he was towering over her, and roughly taking a hold of her chin to force her eyes to his.

"I-" Virginia stuttered, but couldn't think of a convincing answer. "I was _curious_..."

Lucius leered down at her as the first tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek. Bizarrely, though half of him was enjoying having her so utterly helpless before him like this, half of him was overcome with the sudden urge to wipe her tear, and reassure her. _How does she do this to me?_

"Do you think it was _polite_," he hissed, "To _break _into my study like that? To _lie _to me about it only minutes later?"

"No, Sir," Virginia whimpered, thinking it unwise to point out that she hadn't technically _broken _in if the door was unlocked.

"I should punish you..." Lucius mused, still gripping her chin, an evil spark appearing in his normally cold eyes. Virginia could have sworn her heart stopped beating momentarily.

Lucius would have given anything to throw her down onto his desk and fuck her, hard, into the solid wood, to teach her a lesson. That, he mused with a smirk, or take her over his knee. Instead, he settled for something which proved to be far more intimidating: he spun her around, and swiftly walked her backwards until her back hit the wall behind his desk. Pinning her arms to her sides, he lunged forward, taking her by surprise, and kissed her roughly, nipping her bottom lip with his teeth. It only lasted for a second, two at most, but when he pulled back and released her hands, Virginia couldn't move.

Her heart pounded in her chest so loudly she worried he would hear it. Her wide eyes never strayed from his as her mind frantically tried to process what had just happened. She brought a hand up to her lips, her breath coming in short bursts. Lucius looked on from a meter away. When he stepped forward a second time, he expected the girl to flinch or move away, but she did not. She stood her ground, and when his lips came down to meet hers, he found they were met with a passion, which, though it could hardly be said to equal his own, was certainly not that of a girl who had no feelings towards him. And when she tentatively raised a hand to touch his upper arm, all he could do was push her further into the wall, and try to refrain from pulling her closer towards him.

*.*.*.*.*

Virginia was struggling to look anywhere near composed as she sat, less than an hour later, opposite Draco in a small reception room she hadn't been in before. Luckily, Draco didn't seem to notice - he was far too preoccupied with an invisible mark on the ceiling.

Having made awkward small talk for a couple of minutes, the soon-to-be married couple had run out of things to say to each other. Draco was far too stubborn and moody at the moment to try very hard, and Virginia was relieved to have a few moments to think, even if she was seated in close proximity to the son of the very man who was on her mind.

She thought back to their kiss, still reeling in shock, not only at him having kissed her at all, but shocked too at her reaction. She had _enjoyed _it. She had felt an unfamiliar tingling in her lower stomach, and craved his touch when he'd pulled back. And even before that, through her fear and her tears, she had, dare she say it, _liked_ the way he exerted his dominance over her. And when he'd said the word "punish"...

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Draco asked stiffly, breaking Virginia's revery. Her eyes darted to meet his, and she hoped she didn't look as flushed as she still felt.

"I believe so. I still need to try on the dress my mother sent me, but otherwise..."

"Good." Draco replied, his voice strained and distant. After contemplating her for the briefest of seconds, his eyes turned to the window, and he was lost in thought again.

Virginia's thoughts immediately turned back to Lucius. After their second kiss, which had lasted for nearly a minute by her reckoning, although time had felt distorted, Lucius had taken two steps back from her. His eyes were burning as he looked her over, before he took Virginia by surprise (not for the fist time that day), and walked over to the door, holding it open for her.

"Draco is waiting for you in the reception room," he had told her calmly, and if it hadn't been for his lust-filled eyes or slightly disheveled hair, one would have been forgiven for thinking that he had just finished conducting a business meeting, and was showing his guest out.

Virginia simply stared mutely at him for a few seconds, before running her fingers through her hair as best she could to straighten it, and heading to the door.

As he had done on the previous night, Lucius left her little room, and she was forced close to him to get through the narrow space. She had stopped herself from inhaling his deep scent, aware of how closely he was watching her.

When she left the room, she had walked away, only pausing to look over her shoulder right at the end of the corridor. Lucius was leaning against the door frame cockily, his eyes trained on her. He raised an arrogant, aristocratic eyebrow at her, before disappearing back into his study.

*.*.*.*.*

Draco and Virginia spent an increasingly awkward half-hour together, until Narcissa came in with a couple of house-elves, carrying tea-cakes and coffee. Noticing the uncomfortable atmosphere in the room, Narcissa took pity on both her son and Virginia, and sat down to join them, trying her best to spark conversation between them.

To her credit, Virginia did try to engage with Draco, but he wasn't having any of it, and sat solemnly for the most part, while Virginia and Narcissa talked about the trivial matters of the impending wedding. In the end, seeing that their meeting was going no where, Narcissa suggested that Virginia and she go to try on the dress, leaving Draco to his moping.

"I'm sorry about Draco," Narcissa said as she shut the door behind them in Virginia's room. "He's hardly showing you the best of himself. I hope that will come with time..." Virginia nodded reassuringly, although she was not convinced.

"Has your mother been in touch?" Narcissa asked lightly, trying to change the subject, but didn't miss Virginia's grimace at the mention of Antoinette.

"She sent her regards," Virginia replied stiffly, turning to lift her dress from the small trunk her mother had sent it in.

"How kind," Narcissa murmured, coming to help with removing the layers of packaging. When they finally got to the actual dress, Virginia gasped in horror. The dress was utterly hideous. Even Narcissa, an incredibly tactful woman, couldn't restrain a gasp.

The dress, the dress that generations of Antoinette's family had worn for centuries, (or so she claimed), was an off-cream colour, made from too much fabric and trying to flow all the way to the floor and to the wrists of the pouffy sleeves. The silk was covered in a delicate lace which came all the way up to an inch below the neckline, but stopped suddenly at the back, leaving a pure white patch, which gave the impression of having been stained or bleached, but was in fact the effect the designer was aiming for. It was not a sight for sore eyes. Or any eyes, come to that.

"You..._have_ to wear this one?" Narcissa asked finally, fiddling with the fabric between two fingers. The dress smelled like moths.

"My mother insisted..."

Narcissa took a deep breath. "Very well then - we'll make the best of it!" Virginia's eyes met her's in doubt. Narcissa lifted the dress carefully and shook it to rid it of its top coating of dust, and lay it flat on the bed, as Virginia stripped self-consciously to her slip. Narcissa helped her undo the buttons, and Virginia stepped into the dress, leaving Narcissa to tug on the lace ties and do her up.

When she was securely in the dress, Virginia moved over to the mirror, and grimaced at the sight before her. Ironically, considering her mother's harsh words, the dress was too _big_ for her, and hung limply around her, drowning her. The colour made her look a deathly pale, and the lace was so frumpy in parts that she looked as if she had bumps all over her. She turned away from the image quickly, and looked to Narcissa in desperation.

"It's awful."

"It's different." Narcissa replied calmly, and got out her wand, circling Virginia, who looked on the brink of tears. She muttered a few spells, tightening the fabric and pulling the seams closer so that dress took on a more fitted look, and didn't look like it was swallowing the bride. Thinking hard, Narcissa recalled an old charm she hadn't used for many years, and successfully brightened the colour so that it wasn't so dreary. Two spells later, and all though the dress maintained its original 'character', it was definitely passable. Narcissa gently moved Virginia's shoulders so that she could face herself in the mirror again.

"Narcissa..." she murmured in awe, "That's incredible. Thank you!" She had the urge to hug the older woman, who was hovering behind her smiling, but stopped herself as guilt overwhelmed her. How could she hug this woman, whom she'd betrayed? How could she even let her help?

"Thank you," she said again, looking down to the ground in shame. _Maybe I really am evil?_ Virginia wondered. She'd always wondered why she'd been placed in Slytherin House...perhaps the hat had seen this coming before she ever had...

"What's the matter?" Narcissa asked softly, coming to stand between Virginia and the mirror. Virginia merely shook her head and wouldn't meet her concerned gaze. Narcissa sighed. "Shall we take this off you?" she asked gently, and Virginia nodded, the women setting about removing the garment.

Virginia quickly changed back into her former dress, and Narcissa hung the wedding dress up, ready for tomorrow.

"May I have a word, Virginia?" she asked, and Virginia nodded again, moving to sit next to Narcissa on the plump sofa. _Does she know?_ she wondered, paranoia nagging at her thoughts.

"Virginia," Narcissa asked softly, clearing her throat. "I don't mean to pry, or delve into something that isn't my business, but...I shall speak bluntly. Has your mother spoken to you about your wedding night?"

Virginia's eyes darted away in embarrassment, and she flushed, nodding slightly. "What did she say?" Narcissa asked, hating to push the girl but concerned that Antoinette Renwick's advice may have been less than helpful to a young girl.

"She just told me that, uh, a good wife should be obedient, and dutiful, and should never contradict or disobey her husband. That my husband is my master, and I must try to please him." Narcissa nodded, but Virginia stopped there.

"And did she speak to you about..." Narcissa searched for the right word: "_Marital relations_?" Virginia shook her head.

**[Please leave me a little review! Even a word would do. :) What do you think will happen at the wedding? Will Narcissa become suspicious soon? What will Virginia do about her feelings for Lucius? Are Virginia's reactions realistic? What would you do? So many questions! :p Let me know what you think! x]**


	8. Chapter 8

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

**[Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed - two chapters at once are coming your way today! I'd love it if you reviewed at the end of each, or even at the end of the second! :-) It'd make me the happiest Lucius/OC shipper in the world! :p x]**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Narcissa smiled reassuringly at Virginia's reflection in the dressing table mirror as she worked on pinning her hair up. The girl looked tired, she thought, but a smudge of concealer would cover the slight blemishes under her eyes.

Virginia hadn't left her room that morning, having eaten breakfast in bed at Narcissa's suggestion and Lucius' permission, and was now seated at her dressing table, dressed in a white robe, as Narcissa stood behind her, and Mimi, her house-elf, rubbed her face with lotions and various forms of make-up, illuminating her cheekbones and giving her the bridal 'glow' that Narcissa had requested - anyone would need to look radiant to stand any chance of pulling off the horrible dress.

"Would you like anything, Virginia?" Narcissa asked gently. Even with her make-up, Virginia still looked very pale and worried, and Narcissa was concerned that she might pass out.

"A glass of water would be lovely," the girl replied, her throat a little croaky. Mimi jumped off her stool and hurried off to fetch her what she'd asked for. Narcissa moved around her so that she was crouching on the floor next to her, looking up.

"Are you sure you're OK? You know, if anything's on your mind, you can tell me." Virginia smiled weakly and nodded, but said nothing. There was certainly a lot of her mind, but what could she possibly tell Narcissa? _I don't want to marry your beloved son_, or _I definitely don't want to sleep with him, especially after what you told me last night._ Or even _I'm pretty sure that your husband is flirting with me, and yesterday afternoon we kissed - twice_. Particularly not the very thing that was gnawing away at the young woman: _I can't stop thinking about Lucius - I feel so guilty. I'm sorry._

Having waited for a moment but receiving no answer, Narcissa returned to Virginia's hair when Mimi returned with the glass of water, sighing quietly. She thought back to last night, and her 'chat' with Virginia. Half of her was regretting having brought the topic of 'marital relations' up at all, but she knew it was for the best - Virginia had known less to nothing in factual knowledge, and although she had been horrified, Narcissa still maintained that it was better to find out before the moment the actual act was to take place.

She thought back to her own wedding night; she'd been only eighteen, and innocent as a rose, Lucius twenty-two, but experienced beyond his years. It had been a shock to her; she had been frightened from the moment her maids left her alone in her chamber to wait for him, and even more frightened when he'd come to join her, barely dressed under his robe, which he'd swiftly dropped to the ground. And when he'd approached her, and tried to remove the few scraps of material she'd been allowed to keep on...She'd never felt more vulnerable, not even knowing what was about to happen. No one had told her. She'd heard the tales of course - _It hurts for a woman_, and _You just have to lie on your back and close your eyes_, but she hadn't known what they _meant_. How could she?

She was determined to make things better for Virginia than they'd been for her. She saw Virginia gulp in the mirror, clearly lost in thought, and patted her shoulder. "All done with your hair," she smiled down at her, and Virginia reached a tentative hand up to feel the back of her head.

"Thank you."

"Mimi is finished with Mistress' make-up," the house-elf informed Virginia, and she thanked her warmly, too. Narcissa had never seen a house-elf and human have such an informal and warm relationship - then again, Lucius instilled far too much fear in their elves to leave any possibility for mutual respect. She thought back to Virginia's first morning in the Manor, when they'd encountered Lucius punishing Mimi. It still struck her as strange that Lucius hadn't said anything more to Virginia about the matter. Or about the time she'd been late for dinner. She'd expected him to lose his temper the minute she walked in, but he hadn't even raised his voice to her.

Of course, she'd noticed him watching Virginia. She recognized the looks he gave her - they had been the sort of looks he'd bestowed upon her, in the early days of their marriage. After Draco had been born, they'd become less frequent, less potent. He'd started to come to her room every other night, instead of daily, and then a few weeks after that even less frequently. And then he'd taken his first mistress, a little brunette creature called Alys, who'd fawned over him like a pest, or so Narcissa had always thought. Lucius of course had adored her - that was, until she got boring, and he moved on to his next woman.

Narcissa had spent two years of jealousy and bitterness, watching Lucius parade his 'other woman' around the Manor, in front of Narcissa's nose, as she spent her hours in the nursery, taking on the role of the nursery maid in her efforts to avoid her husband and the women he allowed to roam free in _her _house.

But then, inevitably, she supposed, she got used to it. _You can get used to anything_, she remembered her mother telling her once. _You think you can't, but you will. You always will_. Lucius still came to be with her once a week, without fail, and that grew to be enough for her. She'd even grown rather fond of one or two of his mistresses - it made it easier knowing that they never lasted long. He bought them silk dresses, and pretty gold jewelry. But he gave her a son, the most precious thing in the world to her. And as long as he was still _her _husband, she knew that there was nothing she could do to stop him having his affairs - men of his status always did. And she couldn't blame the women either - even if his charms hadn't been so irresistible, the promise of a few months at Manor and all the luxuries they could wish for was something she could understand. They each thought they'd be the one for him, that he'd fall in love with them, and maybe even leave Narcissa. Some of the ruder ones even told her as much. But she knew better. He'd never leave his wife, and he rarely saw them as more than toy-things, to play with and sleep with and dispose of when another took his fancy. Like a child in a toy-shop. A dangerous child in a toy-shop.

Lucius hadn't taken a mistress since Lacey, "the bitch who stole Christmas" as Narcissa referred to her in her head, who he had removed from the picture over a month ago. It was nothing new for Lucius to wait a few weeks between mistresses, especially if he was busy with business matters, but what was worrying Narcissa was his apparent fascination with Virginia. She still didn't know what he'd said to her that night when he'd taken her into his study after dinner, and part of her didn't want to know.

She felt sure that she could trust Virginia not to act in an unladylike manner - the girl wouldn't do anything unseemly, she was sure. It was Lucius she didn't trust. She could only that hope that after today, when she was _married _to his _son_, that Lucius would keep his eyes to himself. Still, the passion he'd shown her on Saturday night after his talk with Virginia...She didn't know what to make of it.

Both Narcissa and Virginia turned as they heard a sharp rapping on the door - "Come in," Narcissa called, her train of thought broken, and Virginia pulled her robe more tightly around her.

"Narcissa!" Narcissa almost winced at the unpleasant tones of Antoinette Renwick, and she saw Virginia grit her teeth out of the corner of her eye.

"Madam Renwick," she cooed, stepping forward to greet the obnoxious French woman, kissing her hastily on both cheeks, "How lovely to see you."

"And you, and you," Virginia's mother replied, taking in her surroundings in an unsubtle manner that didn't live up to her blood status whatsoever. "Virginia," she cried upon noticing her daughter, and Virginia attempted a smile reluctantly. Narcissa couldn't help but feel for her.

"'Ave you tried on ze dress?" her mother demanded, pinching Virginia's cheeks in a way which didn't look completely loving.

"Yes, Maman," Virginia answered, trying to wriggle for her mother's grip, now on her shoulders. "I tried it on last night."

"Well, let me see, let me see!" Antoinette demanded, finally letting her daughter stand up. She turned to Narcissa: "Zese young girls, huh?" she scoffed, and Narcissa let out a small laugh, raising an eyebrow at Virginia when Antoinette's back was turned.

Mimi lifted the dress off the hook where Narcissa had hung it up last night, and the older woman watched Antoinette's face closely as recognition sunk in. "Zis is not ze dress..."

Virginia looked shifty, her eyes darting to Narcissa, who quickly and diplomatically stepped in: "The dress is lovely, Antoinette, however it was a little too large for Virginia, so I was compelled to alter it slightly to better fit her. I hope you won't object..."

Antoinette's jaw had tightened, but she merely shrugged and flashed a fake smile at Narcissa. "Very well." Narcissa was grateful that she was so reverential to her and Lucius - Antoinette Renwick kicking up a fuss at this late stage would do no one any good.

Narcissa moved over to help Virginia put on the dress, thinking it sad that her own mother didn't seem to want to help. Once it was done up, Antoinette regarded her daughter critically. "You look..._nice_, Poussin." Virginia didn't even manage a smile this time.

"Do you think it's time to go downstairs?" Narcissa asked, acting quickly to diffuse the situation.

*.*.*.*.*

Lucius strode down the corridors of the Manor, ordering the elves to hurry up and get out of his way, utterly agitated. Draco was in a foul mood, having planted himself in his room and refusing to come out until the ceremony had literally _started_, and even Lucius' threats were doing nothing to move him.

And he hadn't seen _her_ since last night...She'd looked so lovely at dinner, blushing when he caught his eye.

"Lucius!" a familiar voice called, and Lucius turned sharply on his heel, coming face to face with Shacklebolt. "The big day is here, my friend."

"I am not your 'friend', Shacklebolt," he hissed, gripping his cane so tightly that he was sure his knuckles must have turned white.

Shacklebolt merely raised an eyebrow, unperturbed. He'd seen the man in worse moods. "I'd like to thank you for your generous _donation_," he continued, "It was very much appreciated. We've decided to put it to use in the Equalities Department - working for the rights of Muggle-Borns, and such. I knew you'd approve," he added with a righteous smirk, seeing Lucius' dark expression. "And, just so you know, the Creevey family are happily settled with another groom for Olivia - no harm done. Hasn't this all worked out nicely?"

"What do you want, Shacklebolt?" Lucius demanded. The Minister for Magic shrugged innocently.

"Nothing at all, Lucius. Only to congratulate you on behalf of your son and soon-to-be daughter in law. I haven't met Virginia, but I've heard that she's a charming young witch. Speaking of which, where is Draco? I haven't seen him today."

Lucius pursed his lips. "He will be present for the Ceremony."

"I'm glad to hear it," Shacklebolt chuckled; "The official overseeing wouldn't be best pleased if the groom was absent, would he?"

Lucius made no reply, glaring coldly at Shacklebolt, who took it as his cue to leave. "Well Lucius, it was a pleasure to see you, as always. I expect we'll cross paths again this afternoon. Send Draco my regards when you see him..."

Lucius nodded curtly and turned on his heel, striding off on his way.

*.*.*.*.*

"Virginia."

"Father." Virginia turned as the door opened, revealing Charles Renwick, turned out in his finest robes for the occasion. She'd been escorted downstairs and left in a small reception room while Narcissa went to greet the guests. Her mother had followed Narcissa like an eager puppy, clearly unwilling to spend any more time with her daughter.

"You look lovely." Virginia smiled as she leant up to kiss her father on the cheek. Charles, unlike his wife, looked genuinely pleased to see his daughter, but he was taciturn as ever, and when the pleasantries were said and done, the two lapsed into silence. Neither minded - this was how they were with each other. In their family home, comfortable silence had always made a welcome change to Antoinette's incessant chattering.

Before long, Narcissa had returned, and told them that the ceremony was to start in a few minutes. Virginia took a deep breath, and lowered her lace veil, taking her father's proffered arm and following him out of the room. Narcissa patted her back as she passed, hoping the small gesture might provide even the smallest amount of reassurance.

The walked down the corridors in silence, their footsteps echoing around them. Virginia was in a sort of daze - nothing seemed real to her. The ancient portraits lining the walls were a blur to her, and she was grateful for her father's arm, or else she feared she may have fallen over.

As they drew nearer to the Great Room, in which the ceremony was to take place, Virginia could hear the general babble of the guests. She didn't know the exact figures, but knew that the Malfoys had numerous friends and social allies they would have invited, not to mention the other ancient, high-status families they would have invited out of tradition and custom. And that was without her own guests, or more, her _mother's guests, _as Antoinette had taken it upon herself to invite every other wizarding family they had ever had anything to do with - apart from Adriene's family, of course. Madam Renwick was more than keen to show off her daughter's impressive marriage, and her new home at the Manor.

Charles and Virginia came to a halt at the entrance to the Great Room, and Narcissa stepped in, nodding to the Ministry Official, a tall and imposing man, who called for quiet amongst the guests. Virginia could see very little from under the veil, but she could make out Draco's figure at the front, standing to the right of the Official, and Lucius a couple of steps behind him, cane in hand as always.

The room hushed quickly, followed by the sound of rustling as everyone stood up. As Virginia began to move forward, she kept her eyes forward - what felt like hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to watch her procession, many of whom hadn't seen her before now, or, in the case of her own family, hadn't seen her for a long time. She felt like lamb walking to the slaughter with every step she took towards Draco, and she gripped her father's arm tightly.

They reached the front, and came to a stop besides Draco. Charles released her arm and leant to kiss her on the cheek, squeezing her arm comfortingly before he left her to join Antoinette and Narcissa. Virginia noticed that Lucius had taken a seat too, leaving just her and Draco at the front. She was glad for veil, aware that only those seated in the front row would be able to make out much of her face.

"Please sit," the Ministry Official instructed the guests, and there was another rustle as everyone sat down. Virginia made a conscious effort to stand still. She glanced up at Draco, but he wasn't even looking at her, focused instead on a spot over her shoulder. The Official cleared his throat and began:

"We are here today by Proclamation of the Ministry of Magic, to witness the marriage of Draco Lucius Malfoy and Virginia Adélaïde Éloise Renwick. These two persons present come now to be joined. If any one among you can show just reason why they may not be joined, under the laws of the Ministry and the laws of Magic itself, may they speak now..."

The Official trailed off, letting a minute pass for any objections to be raised. Virginia half hoped that someone might speak up, but of course they didn't.

"Very well then," the Official continued, turning to Draco: "Draco, do you take Virginia for your lawful wife, to live together under the protection of the Ministry as a wedded couple for as long as you both shall live?" Virginia could have sworn she would have heard a pin drop in the moment that followed.

"I do," Draco said stiffly, and Narcissa audibly exhaled in the front row.

The Official turned to face Virginia. "Virginia, do you take Draco for your lawful husband, to live together under the protection of the Ministry as a wedded couple for as long as you both shall live, forsaking all others?" Virginia tried not to let her grimace show as he spoke the last fragment - only brides were expected to "forsake all others", which struck Virginia as highly unfair.

She took a deep breath, and her eyes met Draco's. "I do."

"The rings?" the Official asked, and Draco pulled out a velvet pouch from the inside of his robes, untying the satin tie with unsteady fingers, and letting the two rings fall into the Official's palm. They were simple yet elegant, and chosen by one of his parents, Virginia suspected.

The Official handed the smaller one to Draco. "Repeat after me," he told him: "With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed." Draco said evenly, slipping the ring onto Virginia's wedding finger, before quickly dropping her hand from his. She swallowed, nervously anticipating her turn. The Official handed her the larger of the two rings, and Draco held his hand out.

"With this ring, I thee wed," the Official repeated, and Virginia copied him, her voice calm and clear in spite of her nerves. She slipped the ring onto Draco's finger, and felt the knot in her stomach tighten.

The Official placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "By the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic of Britain, I do declare you husband and wife. With this charm, I place you under the Protection and Dominion of the Ministry." He waved his wand in a figure of eight around them both, leaving a short-lived trail of gold-coloured smoke, before it vanished.

"Mr Malfoy," he continued, addressing Draco, "You may kiss your bride." And to the audience: "May I present to you Mr and Mrs Draco Malfoy." The audience rose to their feet in applause, as Draco tentatively lifted Virginia's veil away from her face. She bit her lip sub-consciously as he regarded her for a second, before leaning in and planting a dry kiss on her lips. He lingered there for a moment as the applause continued, before pulling back. His face was cold and his expression distant as he took her arm and his, and, having shaken hands with the Official, led her back down the aisle.

Looking into the crowd, Virginia spotted her mother dabbing a handkerchief to her eyes, as Narcissa smiled at her, an almost sad look in her eyes. She refused to meet Lucius' gaze, although she could feel it on her like a sixth sense.

When they had exited through the back doors, Draco turned and shut them behind them, blocking them from prying eyes. He rested his head on the solid wood of the door, holding the handles in place. Virginia stretched her hand out, examine the ring. It fitted well, if a tad snugly on her finger. She knew that there were charms included in the ceremony which made it almost impossible to remove a wedding band.

"What do we do now?" she asked after a minute of silence had passed, and Draco hadn't moved. She wondered if he even heard her.

He stood upright, finally letting go of the door. "We have a few minutes to ourselves before the reception," he said, his voice vacant. "You should probably take your veil off..." Virginia nodded, and reached up, lifting the lace piece off her hair. She held onto it awkwardly as Draco looked on. Virginia got the feeling that he wasn't so much _seeing _her as simply looking right through her.

She cleared her throat, and his eyes focused on her face. "Do we wait here, or...?"

"No," he said gruffly, and walked right past her. She turned to follow him, rather indignantly - there was really no need for him to be so rude. He led her to yet another small reception room. A tray containing two flutes of champagne had beens set out, along with a handwritten note. "_Congratulations"_.

"My mother." Draco said in explanation, taking a flute and passing it to Virginia. She took a small sip as he downed half of his in one go. They were at a loss for what to say to each other.

"Where's the reception being held?" Virginia asked, although she knew the answer: the dining hall for the banquet, and then the transfigured Great Room for the dancing afterwards. Draco told her as much, before finishing his champagne and setting the flute down on the silver tray with a clatter. Virginia took another nervous sip.

*.*.*.*.*

**[Please leave me a review! What do think's going to happen at the reception? Will Lucius find time for a moment alone with Virginia? And is Narcissa going to say anything to either one of them? Is she wrong to place so much trust in Virginia? Will Draco warm up a bit? Let me know what you guys think! I'll post chapter 9 later on today...x]**


	9. Chapter 9

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR***

*Warnings: This chapter is rated M for a reason!*

**[Here's the second chapter of the day! I was originally going to write one long chapter, but it got a bit ****_too _****long in my opinion :) I hope you enjoy this - more Lucius coming up...x]**

**CHAPTER NINE**

Virginia found the banquet to be one of the most uncomfortable situations of her life. She was seated at the top table, which turned out to be raised on a relatively high platform, in front of all the other guests, of whom she guessed there were no less than two hundred. Two hundred paris of eyes took her in, from her pale expression to her awful dress to hands, which she clenched into fists at various points, most often to stop her nerves from showing, occasionally because Draco's rudeness was becoming unbearable.

Twice he outright ignored her, and more than once he answered a simple question so harshly that she wished she hadn't asked, even if her request had only been for him to 'pass the salad, please'. She saw Narcissa nudge him under the table a couple of times, prompting him to make conversation with Charles, who was seated to his left, and she noticed his mother glaring at him when he was rude to her.

Lucius' eyes were on her, as she had come to expect, and in all truth it was the only thing that made the meal bearable - there was something of excitement brought about by the way she could feel his eyes on her. It made her conscious of every move she made, aware that she was being watched by him, and kept her heart beat ever so slightly raised. She couldn't deny it, even to herself - she was learning to enjoy his attentions, and craving them even, as she realized when he became in conversation with another wizard she didn't recognize. Every couple of minutes her eyes would stray over to him, and disappointment welled in her when he wasn't looking back. _I'm a truly horrible person_, she told herself.

When the banquet finished, the guests piled out of the hall and back to the Great Room, which had been transfigured during their absence into something of a ballroom, with a wooden dance floor and chandeliers adorning the high ceiling. A string quartet began to play as they entered, and the guests formed a circle around the dance floor. Virginia wondered why, until Lucius stepped forward, his strong voice carrying even over the crowd: "My son and _beautiful_ daughter-in-law will now perform their first dance." Virginia didn't miss the very public compliment, and blushed hotly.

She felt Draco take her hand, and pull her towards the centre of the floor as her stomach fluttered with nerves. It wasn't that she couldn't dance - Beauxbatons had trained her well in that department - but more the thought of so many people watching her so intently, and more so of being in Draco's arms for the first time under these circumstances.

The quartet began to play, and Virginia recognized it as Bach piece she'd heard many a time before. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her with a light touch, and she put her hands on his shoulders as they began to move together. Thankfully, Narcissa left them the centre of attention for only a minute, before she and Lucius joined the dance with Mr and Madam Renwick, followed by Shacklebolt and his wife, Thema. Soon they had been joined by most of the other couples, and the attention was largely off them.

Draco wouldn't meet her eye as they danced, but Virginia was beyond caring now - he had been so cold and rude to her all afternoon, she was losing the will to play nice. When the piece ended, Draco released her as the other guests clapped for the couple politely. The quartet began their second piece, and Draco bowed slightly to his wife, as was custom, before disappearing into the crowd. Virginia's jaw clenched as he left her, alone, in the middle of the floor.

Narcissa passed her a second later, clearly following Draco, and Virginia hoped she'd ask him to be a bit politer to her. She didn't have long to think about it though, as she felt a firm hand land on her lace-covered shoulder.

"May I have this dance?" a velvety voice asked her, and she turned at once, her skin warming under his touch.

"You may," she smiled, genuinely pleased to see Lucius after having been abandoned by her own husband.

"You look _ravishing_, Virginia," he crooned, pulling her in close and holder her three times as tightly as Draco had a few minutes earlier. She placed her hands on his shoulders, glad that Narcissa wasn't around to see this, although to the other guests she hoped it looked perfectly innocent - a father-in-law enjoying a dance with his son's new wife.

"How did you enjoy the banquet?" he asked, his grey eyes darkening ever so slightly as he looked down at her, and for the first time that day Virginia felt colour return to her cheeks.

"It was lovely, thank you, Lucius," she answered keeping her voice soft. This had been one of the tricks her mother had always try to hammer in to her - _speak softly so that he has to lean in close to catch your words_. It worked, and Lucius leant in close to her to hear her answer. His deep scent enveloped her. Even when she'd finished speaking, he didn't pull away, instead murmuring into her ear directly.

"And has my son told you how stunning you look today?" he asked her. Her eyes widened as she tried to think of a suitable answer, but he beat her to it. "If he hasn't, he's a fool," he murmured into her ear, his breath tickling the lobe, and Virginia couldn't stop herself from thinking back to their kiss...

"You dance well," Lucius complimented her, and his patronizing tone didn't bother Virginia any where near as much as it should have. "May I assume that you have Beauxbatons to thank for that?"

"Beauxbatons taught me many things, Lucius," she answered him evenly, and he finally pulled away to look at her face, a small smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.

"Oh did they, did they?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked down and giggled prettily, and Lucius had to stop himself from capturing her mouth with his at the sight.

*.*.*.*.*

Narcissa folded one arm across her chest, and took a long sip of champagne, her eyes on Lucius and Virginia. The string quartet were well into their third piece, and her husband still hadn't let the girl out of his hold. She'd had words with Draco, who was now making small talk with some of his father's business partners. Narcissa looked around, and was relieved to notice that no one else appeared to be paying the dancing pair much attention, other than her.

She winced as Lucius reached up and curled a lock of Virginia's hair, the hair that _she _had styled so perfectly that very morning, around his index finger, stroking it fondly between his finger and thumb. He leaned in and whispered something to her, and she saw Virginia's eyes widen as her face broke into a smile. It was the most relaxed, and _happy_, she'd seen Virginia. However wrong it was.

Lucius wrapped both arms around the girl and began to move with her in time to the music, turning them in a circle. Narcissa half-hoped he'd spot her watching, but he was too preoccupied with watching the woman in his arms. _No, not a woman_, Narcissa reminded herself - _a girl. She's a girl._ Virginia didn't notice Narcissa watching either, even when she directly faced her. She was clearly caught up in Lucius' spell.

As the quartet came to a stop, Narcissa moved in, unwilling to witness a third dance between the two. She couldn't hear what Lucius was saying as she approached, taking them both by surprise, but she didn't miss that sparkle in Virginia's eyes and her delicate laugh.

"Lucius, darling," she said, her cold, clear voice bringing an abrupt halt to Virginia's giggles, as she planted a hand on her husband's shoulder. Virginia noticed the wedding band glimmering on Narcissa's hand, and immediately stepped away from Lucius, the ever-present guilt swelling once again inside of her. "Perhaps we ought to let Virginia mingle - there are so many people dying to meet her." Her voice betrayed none of her inner feelings - Narcissa Malfoy had grown used to keeping her emotions away from her husband in the long years of their marriage.

"Of course," Lucius replied gruffly, stepping away and bowing low to Virginia, before nodding to his wife and moving away from the women, heading over to the drinks table. Both Narcissa and Virginia followed him with their eyes until he was out of sight. Narcissa sighed, and Virginia's eyes met hers.

"Lucius asked me to dance..." she said lamely, unsure whether it was an explanation or an apology even as she said it.

"I know," Narcissa said simply, forcing a smile. "Now, let me introduce you to the Prendergast Family. Mrs Prendergast has a daughter, Matilda, who's a year younger than you. You might get on with her. Unfortunately she couldn't be here today, but I'll introduce you to her mother, and..." Narcissa continued with trivial information as she led Virginia over to the Prendergasts.

The remainder of the reception turned into a social networking session, with Narcissa introducing Virginia to all of the important people she ought to know, and Antoinette intervening occasionally, bringing over a distant family member of her side whom she had managed to drag over from France for the occasion. Virginia barely had a moment to herself to think, so busy was she greeting new faces and trying desperately to learn and remember their often complicated names and titles.

By the time the reception was beginning to draw to a close, with guests saying their goodbyes and gradually leaving, Virginia was taken by surprise at the time. Narcissa had given her a moment alone while she spoke with some old friends, and Virginia stood at the drinks table, hoping to look innocuous so that nobody would come to speak to her. When she saw Draco approaching, she couldn't decide if she was relieved or disappointed.

"My Father tells me that we've rather out-stayed our welcome here," he began, setting down an empty goblet next to her, "Which seems rather ironic to me, considering it's our wedding."

"How peculiar," Virginia commented dryly. She could smell spirits, perhaps brandy or firewhiskey, on Draco, and the smell didn't suit him.

Draco remained silent for a moment watching the remaining guests as they went about their business. "Éloise?" Draco asked out of the blue: "I knew about the Adélaïde, but not Éloise." This was clearly his attempt to make small talk, and Virginia was glad for it, despite herself.

"It was my godmother's name, my maternal aunt," she explained. "She...she fell out of favour with my mother a few years ago, and was estranged from the family. We only use the name now for very official matters."

"'_We_'?" Draco asked, picking up on what Virginia thought was a pretty mundane detail. "It's your name, Virginia, not your mother's. Would you use it, given the option?"

Virginia shrugged, and didn't answer his question. "I've never been afforded that much control in my affairs," she explained evenly, watching her Mother, engaged in what looked like a boring conversation with an elderly wizard. Draco thought it was amazing that her voice was free from any traces of bitterness. "Besides, when I introduce myself I call myself Virginia," she continued. "There seems to be little point to me in having four names. I only need two of them after all."

Draco nodded - he couldn't really fault her logic. He let out a long breath. "I suppose what my Father was implying is that we ought to be...leaving here soon."

Virginia nodded. "We should say goodbye to our guests?" she half-asked, half-suggested, trying to buy herself some time. Draco agreed rather enthusiastically, and Virginia could only assume he was as eager as she was to linger at the reception. He took her arm rather awkwardly, and led her around the room. Virginia was surprised at how many of the powerful people there he seemed to know personally, and began to realize just how notable the Malfoy Family was.

When they had said goodbye to everyone, and only their respective parents remained, Draco turned to his wife: "I'll see you in your room." He let go of her arm and turned swiftly, saying something to his parents as he passed them and leaving the Great Room. Virginia shook her head, wondering if he realized, or just didn't care, how rude he was being.

She approached her parents, and noticed the look on her Father's face - it was the look he wore when his wife was being particularly incessant in her chatter, and he was near the end of his tether. "Father," she said, kissing his cheek, "Mother, Draco and I are retiring now." Antoinette nodded her approval and patted her daughter firmly on the cheek. Neither of parents looked moved to speak, so she bid them 'goodnight', and made her way reluctantly up the staircase to her rooms, hoping that Draco wouldn't be there already.

*.*.*.*.*

Draco waited in his quarters for just over twenty minutes, before taking a deep breath and final shot of firewhiskey, and heading to Virginia's room. He rapped on the door twice, and the sound echoed down the empty corridor. Downstairs, the noises of the party had quietened, and he could hear his Father giving out orders to the house-elves for the clean-up. He knocked again impatiently when he got no reply, and heard Virginia call from within: "Come in."

Opening the door, he saw Virginia approaching the door, clearing having emerged from the ensuite. She stopped when she saw him, and he shut the door behind him, before taking her in. She had taken her hair down, and it fell softly in loose ringlets past her shoulders, which were no longer covered by the ghastly dress, but a simple white nightgown, which fell to just above her knees. She'd taken her shoes off, and her feet were bare, her toes curling into the carpet as she watched him watching her, still wearing what he had been for the reception, a crisp white dress shirt and black suit trousers, but without the extra layer of his dress robes.

"You know what..." he trailed off, trying to ask her a question. He tried again, running a hand through his cropped platinum hair. "You do know what we have to..."

"Do," Virginia finished for him. "Yes. I do."

"Good." He nodded curtly, kicking off his shoes and bending slightly to pull of his grey socks.

He approached her purposefully, but came to stop a meter from her, clearly at a loss, his resolve to get this over with quickly faltering. He stood awkwardly before her, and she waited for him to make the first move, feeling increasingly self-conscious. Draco muttered a silencing spell around the room.

"Are you a virgin?" he asked suddenly, and Virginia nodded her head. Draco shut his eyes, inhaling as he counted to ten in his head. Virginia looked away, not wanting to see the scorn and hatred she knew she'd find in her husband's eyes when he opened them.

It wasn't that he was angry, or surprised even. The chances that she'd had any sexual experience at all were miniscule. The girl wasn't even seventeen, for Merlin's sake! He simply couldn't face having to be gentle and tender with this girl, for whom he had no feelings whatsoever. He didn't want to have to sleep with her at all, but he'd hoped it could be a quick fuck, nothing more, perhaps twice a week at most to keep everyone happy.

_If it were Pansy here...No, don't go there_, Draco, he warned himself. _Don't_.

When he opened his eyes, he found Virginia looking away from him, hurt and worry evident in her eyes. He signed, and immediately regretted it - it seemed to send her over the edge, and a tear fell down her pale cheek.

He felt a sudden pang of guilt - this wasn't her fault. She wanted it no more than he did, probably less. And she was clearly trying her best - if it hasn't been for his feelings for Pansy, he probably wouldn't have objected to bedding her at all, he realized. She was undeniably beautiful, and seemed to be sweet natured with it, although he barely knew her. He knew his mother liked her, which said a lot in itself.

The soft brown curls falling over her shoulders, skimming the white lace of her gown, only served to emphasize her innocence - she was like the epitome of purity. As she looked at the ground, her long, dark lashes rested on her defined cheek bones. He took a deep breath, and reached out to touch her upper arm gently.

She flinched, not expecting him to be so gentle. His hands were warmer than she'd expected, but then again, she had been expecting ice.

"Don't cry," he told her, and patted her shoulder awkwardly, trying to keep his tone from sounding annoyed. That wouldn't do either of them any good.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, and trying to regain composure.

"Are you wearing anything under your night gown?" he asked, and she blushed but answered

quickly, 'no'.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to take it off you." Draco paused, and ran a hand through his short hair again. "Uh, why don't you get into bed?" he suggested in the end, noting the slight panic in his wife's eyes.

He turned away from her as she walked stiffly to the bed, and unbuttoned his shirt slowly, stalling for time.

Virginia slipped under the cold sheets, tugging her gown down, although it seemed pointless. She shivered - why was her room was so cold?

Draco tugged off his shirt, and it fell to the ground. He pulled off his belt, and hung it over the back of a chair, before pulling off his trousers and folding them neatly, again trying to buy himself some time.

Eventually, he was forced to turn to the bed. He approached it slowly, and saw Virginia close her eyes in apprehension. It didn't help his libido, but he couldn't really blame her.

He pulled back the sheets far enough to be able to slip under them, and moved so that he was holding himself over the girl. Her legs were held together firmly, and his light touches didn't do anything, so he sat back on his heels and gently, if a tad impatiently, pulled her legs apart, and pushed up her nightgown simultaneously, so that it was round her waist. Virginia moved her hands as if in protest, but quickly remembered herself and dropped them to her side again, shutting her eyes hastily.

"This is going to hurt," he warned her: "Just don't struggle. It'll only make it worse". Virginia's eyes remained shut as she nodded, almost imperceptibly.

Draco took a minute to prepare himself, before nudging part way into her, finding her dry, as he'd expected. He pulled out and Virginia winced. He made the decision to get it over with quickly, and thrust into her quickly, burying himself within her.

Virginia cried out as he entered her, her eyes shot open, and her hands instinctively flew up to push him away from her. Draco merely grabbed her wrists and held them down lightly on the mattress to her sides, grimacing.

The girl continued to struggle beneath him, clearly having disregarded his advice. It was no good - he was far stronger than she was - but he could only suppose it made it a bit more bearable for her, trying, if failing, to stop the pain she was obviously experiencing.

He waited a moment for her to stop crying so loudly before pulling out part way, then thrusting into her fully again, repeating this, all the while holding her hands down out of necessity. At first she tried kicking out at him, but found that this made it worse still. In the end she lay still, eyes screwed shut in pain, praying it would be over soon. He wondered dimly if it would make it any more bearable for her to know that he was gaining little pleasure from the act.

Draco climaxed as quickly as he could, releasing the girl's hands, and rolling off her hastily. She winced as he did so, and immediately turned onto her side, facing away from him, crying into her pillow. He took a minute to get his breath back, and then rose, crossing the room to dress.

When he had pulled on his clothes, he turned back to face Virginia, who had curled herself into the fetal position, hugging a pillow to her chest. His jaw clenched at the sight, unreasonably angry with her. He had no idea why he was responding so badly to her. _Maybe it's like this for everyone...? _he wondered.

In the end, after watching her for a minute, he slipped out the door quietly, leaving Virginia alone in the bed, sniffling into the pillow, and shivering in the cold.

*.*.*.*.*

"Come in." Lucius' cold voice called, and the door to his study opened. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked patronizingly, but Narcissa stood her ground despite his harsh tone.

"Can I speak with you?" she asked evenly, taking a step towards his desk.

"I have no doubt that you're capable of speaking to me," he mocked her, and she wrinkled her nose sub-consciously, annoyed at herself for her mistake.

"What I mean to say is, _may_ I speak to you, Lucius?" she corrected herself, cursing his condescension at the very moment she was attempting to have the upper hand.

"Sit down," he commanded her cooly, gesturing to the chair opposite his desk.

Narcissa took a deep breath, preparing herself. "I'd like to speak to you about Virginia..." she began, and Lucius seemed to freeze in his seat momentarily, before shaking it off and sitting back in his chair, steepling his hands in front of him as he rested his elbows on the arms of his leather chair.

"What about her?" he asked, and Narcissa struggled to find the right words.

"I don't mean to speak out of turn, Husband," she started, hoping that if her address was respectful he may not be so easily angered. "I've noticed in the past couple days that...well, that your behaviour to Virginia hasn't always been...well, that is to say, necessarily..."

"Spit it out, woman!" Lucius snapped, impatiently awaiting what she wanted to say to him.

"It hasn't necessarily been entirely..._appropriate_," she finished, bracing herself for his onslaught.

He glared at her for a full minute, before answering worrying calmly. "What has she told you?"

Narcissa looked confused: "Nothing, Lucius, I've just observed..."

"What, exactly?" he spat.

"Today, when you were dancing..."

"I was sharing a friendly dance with my daughter-in-law, as Draco had left her."

"You seemed to be very..._close_ to her, and-"

"What are you implying?" Lucius hissed, leaning forward suddenly and taking Narcissa by surprise.

"Only that..." Narcissa trailed off, realizing that she had already run out of things to say. She could hardly accuse of him of _looking_ at Virginia inappropriately, could she?

"It's just that, Lucius, Virginia is very young, and-"

"I am fully aware of her age, thank you."

"I know that. Only I wouldn't want..."

"I don't know what you're trying to say, Narcissa, but I suggest you think very carefully about your evidence before making any accusations." His tone was ominous, and Narcissa resigned herself to defeat.

"I'm sorry, Lucius," she finished, cursing herself. "I just want Draco and Virginia to have every chance of happiness together-"

"And why wouldn't they?" he inquired coldly, his eyes boring into her.

"They will, I'm sure."

"Very well then."

"I should go..." Narcissa murmured, rising to her feet. "Good night, Husband."

*.*.*.*.*

**[Here we are then, the second chapter up in one day! Please leave a little review and tell me what you think - What's Narcissa going to do now? Will Lucius back off? Will Draco apologize for being so rude all day? Whose side are you on? Virtual hugs and cookies to anyone and everyone who reviews! x]**


	10. Chapter 10

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[I know, I know, I'm a horrible person. One month. I'm sorry! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed - you gave me the energy to continue on through the writer's block! I can't say when I'll next be able to update, things are getting pretty busy around here, but I can say for sure that I'll be writing a lot more frequently in the summer months, as soon as my exams are over. Thank you so much for all your support x]**

**CHAPTER TEN**

Virginia eventually forced her eyes open, and quickly regretted it. She snapped them shut, horribly sore from her crying last night, and patted the bed around her, grabbing a pillow and holding it over her sensitive eyes until she was bathed in darkness once again.

She'd woken frequently in the night, at first from the howling wind, subsequently from her puffy eyes and throbbing headache, not to mention the general aura of soreness about her body. She wrapped her cover more tightly around her, and turned over onto her front, enduring the worsening throbbing in her head for a moment to be slightly more comfortable.

Although she was well aware of the time, and knew she'd very soon be missing breakfast, Virginia had resigned herself to fact. _After all, _she mused_, what's the worst that's going to happen now? Draco already hates me, Narcissa is impossibly lovely to me no matter what I do, no matter how guilty I feel, and Lucius...well, Lucius is Lucius. He'll surprise me, whatever I do. _Groaning into her pillow, Virginia grumbled a muffled "It's open," when she heard Mimi's distinctive knock on her door, and groggily wished the house-elf could have just apparated into her room.

"Mistress?" Mimi asked hesitantly, clearly having sensed Virginia's less than chirpy mood. "Master has sent you a breakfast tray, with his...his," Mimi paused, trying to remember the exact words: "His _kindest regards_." Virginia sat up slowly, a hand to her head and, squinted down at Mimi. Sure enough, the creature was wielding a silver tray, upon which sat an array of breakfast foods, and a small handwritten note, propped up in front of a longer letter, which Virginia snatched up.

"It's from Addy!" she explained, tearing open the seal - "I recognize her handwriting."

Mimi smiled warily up at her, pleased to see her mistress a little more animated. "Should Mimi leave the tray here?" she enquired, and Virginia nodded distractedly, already reading the letter.

_V,_

_Since when was your life so exciting, ma cocotte?! I wish I could be there with you - I miss you too, every day. _

_First of all, of course I've heard of the Malfoys, Virginia! More than that, I've met Lucius. My Father had him here for a dinner party once. I was only present briefly - less than five minutes, I'd say - but my impression of him wasn't altogether pleasant. He seemed cold, distant, polite of course, but I have to agree with your own description of the man: intimidating. I can understand why Narcissa seems afraid of him. I heard him shouting at and, from the sounds of it, humiliating one of our other guests that night, all the way from my room. I could hear what he was saying exactly, but I remember I was glad it wasn't me on the receiving end of his wrath._

_I'm not there, cocotte, but if you'll allow me to advise you? Keep your distance from that man. He may be trying to charm you, but I can only imagine what he wants with a girl our age - and I don't think that either of us wants to think about it too closely. He has a reputation - notorious in the war, notorious in the business world, and a notorious lover. My sister, Nicoline, told me this. Niccy told me that a friend of hers from Beauxbatons was a mistress of his, for a short time. He gave her the world, V: diamonds, silk robes, luxuries she'd only dreamed of. But it didn't last. And Niccy refused give me any details, but she did say that it didn't end well for her friend. I don't want you to be hurt by a man such as him (however seductive he might be!)._

_Besides which, your husband! You'll be married, I expect, by the time you read this. Oh, how I wish I could have been there! I bet you were beautiful. This Draco character sounds awful - still, not half as creepy as his father! (Sorry, I probably shouldn't joke about this...). At least he's not getting you drunk and whispering threatening sweet-nothings in your ear at night. Take my advice - try not to let Malfoy the Elder get to you. Narcissa sounds lovely, but I'm not sure how much longer you'll have an ally in her if Lucius carries on with you. Maybe try to work on Draco? He must have a soft centre? Well, cocotte, a girl can dream, right?_

_All is fine at Beauxbatons - it's never been the same since you left, of course. That new girl, Lilian, is positively awful. She keeps stealing my expensive hair conditioner from the Prefects Bathroom!_

_Anyway, keep my posted about Lucius and Draco - if Niccy will tell me anymore I'll let you know. Be careful, ma cocotte._

_Addy_

_xxx_

Virginia blinked down at the parchment in her hands, rereading parts. Her head was still throbbing painfully, as she flopped back down into her nest of pillows, vowing to worry about Addy's advice later. So much had happened since then anyway - the incident in his office, the dance at the wedding..._Merlin_, Virginia groaned, wishing she could fall into a deep sleep and skip the next week or so. _He's not going to hurt me..._she tried to reassure herself. _But I barely even know the man..._

She suddenly remembered the note from Lucius, and reached for the breakfast tray. '_Virginia'_ was printed neatly on the front, and underlined with an arrogant swirl of ink. _How Lucius_, she thought, unfolding the card. Her eyes widened as she read it, and took in the name signed at the bottom:

_Virginia,_

_I do hope you're well this morning. Please, don't feel obligated to come down for breakfast - enjoy it in your own room, unless of course you'd prefer otherwise. _

_I'd very much like to speak with you later on in the day. A few of Father's guests are still here, so I'll be seeing them directly after breakfast, but I will come to room after that._

_With kindest regards,_

_Draco_

*.*.*.*.*

Lucius' clenched fist slammed down hard on the mahogany of his desk as he scowled at his son. Narcissa stood warily to the left of Draco, trying not to flinch as Lucius hammered his fist down upon the wood a second time.

"Father, her house-elf said: she is indisposed this morning-"

"That is no reason to send back a tray of food."

"Perhaps I should go to check in on her-" Narcissa suggested demurely, but Lucius cut over her again.

"I shall go myself, instill some manners in her-" he ranted, beginning to pace his study. Narcissa sighed. This was clearly about more than the breakfast tray Virginia had failed to eat from - Lucius was searching for an excuse to see the girl, and had been all morning.

"Lucius, I'll go to her-"

"You'll do no such thing, Narcissa!"

The three Malfoys froze, a complicated triangle of high emotions. In the end, it was Draco who spoke up. "She's my wife. I need to see her anyway."

Narcissa saw how Lucius opened his mouth to refuse his son, but clearly even he realized that this would be an unreasonable request, and he sat down heavily in his desk chair. "I'll be in my rooms, Lucius," Narcissa informed him quietly, slipping from the dark office before he had a chance to say another word.

*.*.*.*.*

Narcissa headed straight for Virginia's rooms, determined to warn her about Lucius's temper, in case she should run into him later in the day - and, by Narcissa's reckoning, that was more than likely if Lucius had anything to do with it. As she climbed the stairs, she forced down the feelings of resentment which had, very much against her will, begun to form against her daughter-in-law. _It's not her fault_, she reminded herself sternly, _It's not Virginia's fault. She's an innocent._

Reaching Virginia's door, she raised her hand to knock, but stopped just in time, and was taken aback to hear Draco's voice coming from inside. Of course, he'd _said _he was going to see his wife, but given her son's attitude of the past few days, Narcissa hadn't believed him.

She knew she should leave, to give them some privacy, but something compelled her to stay.

"...I was cold with you," she could hear Draco saying, and although his voice was stiff with formality he truly sounded genuine. "It was unnecessary. You deserve better than that."

Narcissa leaned in closer to the door, straining to hear Virginia's reply, but she could only make out the soft lilt of her voice, before Draco spoke again. "Even so," she heard him say, "I regret that I behaved that way with you, especially yesterday..." Again, Virginia made some reply, and then she heard two words she rarely heard from her son: "I'm sorry."

Narcissa barely even had time to be shocked, as she heard footsteps heading for the other side of the door, and she scampered away down the corridor, before turning and pulling herself together, so as to look as if she was walking calmly towards Virginia's room. Draco stepped out mere seconds later, and ran a hand through his hair before he spotted his mother.

"Ah, Draco," she said, trying to sound motherly and refusing to betray any of the shock she was still reeling from. "Is Virginia well this morning?"

Draco flushed, and nodded curtly. "She is, Mother. Were you going to see her?" Narcissa nodded. "Perhaps you'll give her an hour? I suggested she take a hot bath." Narcissa raised an eyebrow, again taken aback by her son's actions.

"What a lovely idea," she said, blinking at him. "I'll...I'll come back later, then?"

"That might be best," Draco agreed, before kissing his mother quickly on the cheek and striding towards his own rooms. Vaguely, Narcissa wondered if Draco was as oblivious as she'd assumed to his father's advances on Virginia. _Am I missing something?_

*.*.*.*.*

Virginia stood stock still, stunned into inaction after Draco left. _He...he apologized. _Her mouth moved, as if trying to form words of its own accord, and her hand came up instinctively to rub her forehead, which was still throbbing painfully. _He was so nice_.

Not for the first time that morning, a groan escaped her lips. This complicated everything. Loathed though she was to admit it, Draco hating her, and thus being _allowed _to hate him in return, made the whole _situation _with Lucius so much easier. If he was going to be _nice_ to her, how could she justify...

_Sweet Circe_, she moaned, sinking down onto her bed. _I don't know if I'll ever understand the Malfoy family_.

Still, she seemed incapable of thinking of anything other than one man: Lucius Malfoy.

**[I know it's dreadfully short, but I figured it's better than nothing for now? I just wanted to show you I haven't abandoned this story! So, what do you think will happen next? Lucius can't keep away, but is Draco catching on? What do you make of Addy's 'helpful' advice? Is Draco just feeling guilty in the cold light of day, or is something more developing between the newly weds? Let me know what you think! Virtual hugs and cookies and a spritz of perfume to everyone who reviews :p x]**


	11. Chapter 11

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***RATED M***

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! It means the world to me. On a separate note, anyone looking for other stories to check out, I'd definitely recommend ****_rileypotter17_****'s "How To Be A Heartbreaker" - you won't regret it :p I hope you all enjoy Chapter Eleven - Lucius coming up - be warned, this is a very 'steamy' chapter :p x]**

***RATED M***

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

***.***

_"You come around and the armour falls_

_Pierce the room like a cannon ball_

_Now all we know, is don't let go..."_

**_*.*_**

Lucius Malfoy was not happy. He had spent the morning in tedious business meetings with boring old wizards, who didn't know their cloaks from their wands, and had now been informed by one of the house elves that Narcissa, whom he would normally under these circumstances have taken his frustration out on, had gone out. Draco had been so irritating that morning, especially after inadvertently knocking down Lucius' attempt to see Virginia, that he had been compelled to send the boy out on business, meaning that Virginia was the only one left in the house.

For the last half hour, Lucius had been contemplating potential excuses for going up to her room to see her, and it had got to the point where he was even beginning to get on his own nerves - he felt like some silly teenager, trying desperately to find a way to get to his beloved. Except he wasn't a teenager, he was Lucius Malfoy, notorious wizard, feared across the continent. And Virginia was not his beloved, but his son's wife. His son's wife, and the woman he seemed to be incapable of doing anything but lust after.

_Damn it all_, he hissed, downing a second tumbler of brandy: _I'm the head of this family. This is my Manor. If I want to see her, I'll damn well see her_. He stood up quickly, his resolve set, and strode to the door, cane gripped tightly in hand.

*.*.*.*.*

Virginia, despite her misgivings and general sense of unease after Draco's unexpected apology and Addy's letter, had spent a surprisingly relaxing morning in a steaming hot bath, as Draco had suggested. Her headache had cleared with the steam and the rest, and the soreness plaguing her body had gone, leaving her feeling refreshed and in a much more positive mood, even if Adrienne's words were still buzzing around her head like persistent wasps.

She'd been in two minds about the whole matter for the length of her bath - on the one hand, Addy's advice certainly sounded valid, especially if Niccy was right about Lucius' ex-mistresses. But then again, she reasoned, she wasn't going to be his _mistress_. Of course that begged the question - what exactly _was_ she hoping for with Lucius?

She re-read the letter a dozen times, trying with all her might to be affected by her best friend's sensible advice in the way she ought to have been. But, although she knew that she _ought_ to be alarmed by Addy's words, her natural reaction was far from that. She was drawn to Lucius' dominance and, dare she say it, his intimidating nature, like Icarus to the sun. She couldn't ignore the fact that a small shiver ran down her spine every time she thought about him, nor the way in which he made her heart beat faster just by looking at her. She couldn't imagine staying away from the man - besides which, a strong part of her hoped that he wouldn't allow her to keep a distance. She craved his attention like a drug.

Virginia jumped as she heard a sharp rapping on her door, and was about to call out that it was open when she caught a glimpse of herself in her vanity mirror, and remembered that she was still in her bathrobe, and, with her damp hair, hardly fit to receive a visitor, not even Narcissa.

"One moment, please," she called, rushing to her wardrobe to grab some form of suitable attire, but when she heard her door click open, all she could do before the door was open fully was to whip her blanket around her, and try as best she could to conceal her revealing state of undress.

"Virginia," Lucius crooned from the doorway, rooted to the spot as a slow, wicked smirk spread across his face as he took in the girl, grappling with a cotton sheet, her long hair falling in waves across her nude shoulders. Her mouth dropped open, and she was torn between her natural reaction to scream at him to avert his eyes, and her body's response, which was something rather different, although she pushed those thoughts aside.

"Virginia, Virginia, Virginia," Lucius drawled slowly, shutting the door closed behind him without breaking eye contact, "Why, my dear, it's nearly noon. Oughtn't you be more..._suitably_ attired at this late hour?" He began to move towards her, menacingly slowly, taking predatory, deliberate steps until he was within a meter of her. Virginia remained glued to the spot, unable to form a coherent sentence, unable to move even, trapped in his lethal spell.

Lucius came to a stop, and leaned arrogantly on his cane as his eyes roamed her barely-concealed body freely. "Perhaps we ought to purchase some new clothes for you, Virginia, if _this_," he plucked at the woven bath robe, not missing her sharp intake of breath, "Is the best you can find to wear." He leaned in close to her, his breath tickling her cheek. "A beauty such as yourself should be dressed in silks and satins."

"Forgive me, Sir, but you really shouldn't be in here," Virginia finally managed to murmur, although spoken out loud the words sounded even less forceful than they had in her head. Lucius chuckled lowly, the sound reverberating through Virginia's body.

"Would you kick me out, Virginia?" he asked, his voice smug. She swallowed and held onto the blanket more tightly, partially for modesty's sake, but mostly because she didn't want Lucius to notice her trembling hands. She shook her head, and the smirk returned to grace his face.

"I hope you don't think me _impertinent_," Lucius continued, "But may I say that you are looking _very_ attractive this morning? It's a shame that your husband isn't here to appreciate you..." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But I'm here - and I certainly appreciate your beauty, Virginia."

Virginia's breathing had grown heavy, and her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to maintain composure in the presence of this impossible man, Adrienne's comments at once confirmed and dismissed, as she realized that even if Lucius did have less than innocent things in mind for her, she simply didn't want to stay away from him. Flying too close to the sun, she felt her armour falling around her.

"You're shaking," Lucius observed, mock-concern etched onto his arrogant face, and he clasped one of her hands in a confident grip. "I hope I'm not scaring you?"

His tone inviting an answer, Virginia felt compelled to reply, although her throat was dry and her voice weak: "No..." She was about to add that she really ought to get dressed, but realized it was a futile comment to make.

"Excellent," Lucius murmured, his voice deepening as his grey eyes bore into hers. He took another step forward, and Virginia took an involuntary step back. Still grasping one hand, held between their bodies like a barrier, Lucius moved forward again, effectively backing Virginia into the wall a couple of meters behind her. He saw her eyes widen as her back hit the wall, and he took one more stride in her direction, until he was towering over her, his body pressing against hers, holding her up against the wall as his smoldering gaze never left hers.

He let a pause build, the tension between them rising to breaking point, and although Virginia longed to break his eye contact and glance away, she found inexplicably that she was incapable of doing so.

"Well," Lucius said eventually, his voice barely more than a whisper, leaning in as if he might kiss her: "Perhaps you were right. I ought to go." He made as if to move, but hadn't taken even one step back when Virginia blurted out the words which, in her mind, sealed her betrayal:

"Stay!"

Lucius reacted in an instant, lunging forward, letting his cane fall to the floor with a clatter as his hands came up to grasp the sides of her head firmly, his lips findings hers in a moment of such fire that Virginia would have sworn her heart stopped beating. The blanket she'd been holding up against herself dropped between them, leaving her in her short bathrobe, as Lucius' hands roamed further down her sides, gripping her slim waist and pulling her towards him before crushing her back into the wall, eliciting a gasp of pleasure that was almost painful from Virginia.

His mouth devoured hers, possessive, determined. He was determined to make her enjoy this as much as he was - although from the sounds she was making in the back of her throat, he wasn't too worried about that.

She pushed against his rock hard chest, but he grasped her wrists and brought them down to her sides, holding them there with an iron grip, ignoring the feel of the cool band of metal on her ring finger as he brushed against it. When he released her hands, she tried to touch his chest again, so he slammed them back against the wall. She'd soon learn.

Sure enough, when he released her wrists a second time, not missing her whimper of fear, she didn't move her arms. His merciless teeth caught her bottom lip, eliciting another moan of pleasured pain from the girl.

Lucius now grasped her thighs and lifted her so that she was straddling him, his much larger body pinning her to the wall. His hands slid up beneath her robe, revelling in the smooth, silky skin he found there. When he moved his hands up further, skimming over her sex, pleased to find her lacking in underwear, Virginia tossed her head to the side, eyes screwed shut as she let out a moan of pleasure, shuddering under his skillful touch.

He deftly undid the tie of the bath robe so that it fell open, leaving her rapidly heaving chest exposed and vulnerable to him. He cupped her breasts firmly, withholding a groan himself as his crotch rubbed against her, and pinched a nipple, tugging on it and twisting it until she gasped in pain, before letting go and using his hands to hold her head steady as he again found her mouth, crushing his lips to hers.

Virginia submitted willingly to his force, trembling and shuddering beneath his touch, as his tongue explored her mouth.

"You want me," he breathed, breaking the fervent kiss for the briefest of moments to take in her flustered expression, her flushed cheeks, and her still damp hair, falling messily over her shoulders. "Say it!" he commanded gruffly, grasping her hips and slamming her body closer.

"I can't," Virginia replied, her voice shaky as she fought for breath to speak, but her heart was pounding furiously in her chest and would not relent.

Lucius' eyes darkened dangerously, and he pinched her hips forcefully, aggressively, _painfully_, which Virginia had to admit, only served to turn her on more. She whimpered in his arms as he glared at her.

"_Say. It." _he hissed, moving one hand up to cup her breast cruelly, as she quivered in pleasure. Her head lolled to the side and again she shut her eyes. "Say it, Virginia," he ordered once more.

"_I want you_," she admitted, her voice quiet and her words mumbled as she spat them out as quickly as she could, the pang of guilt sharp in her gut.

"Good girl," Lucius purred patronizingly, before claiming her mouth with renewed fervor, turning with Virginia in his arms, her legs still straddling him, and in two easy strides depositing her in the middle of the bed.

She mattress caught her with a slight bounce, and Lucius watched eagerly, appreciating fully her young, slender body, the curve of her waist and hips and the fullness of her breasts. Her face was flushed and her hair tousled from being pushed against the wall. She looked up at him with some obvious trepidation, yet the overwhelming emotion shouting out from behind her bright eyes was _desire_. It was true. As wrong as it was - and Virginia certainly knew it was wrong - she _wanted_ him.

Lucius approached the bed, catching his breath as he drank in the sight of her, the beautiful young witch sprawled out just for him, at his mercy. He was torn between the demands of his lust, to take her right there and then, pinning her to the bed and claiming what he so ached for, or delaying his gratification for what he believed might be far more rewarding in the long run.

"What shall I do with you...?" he mused out-loud, watching with increasing pleasure as the flush adorning Virginia's face spread lower across her chest, as her arousal grew.

"_Please,_" she whimpered, unsure herself of what she was begging for. Lucius smirked down at her wickedly.

"I could take you now..." he told her calmly, "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She swallowed audibly, propping herself up on her elbows to have a better view of him. This was nothing like it had been with Draco. With him, she'd felt painfully self-conscious, nervous, fearful. With Lucius...she craved his touch, and although she was writhing, as good as naked, before his very eyes, she just couldn't stop herself. She was capable of experiencing nothing but desire.

Lucius ran his long forefinger across his bottom lip contemplatively. "Why should I give you what you want?" he asked, delighting in her widening eyes.

"I-" she stuttered, clearly taken aback by his words. He moved in closely, as leant over her, his hair brushing her cheek.

"I'm not sure you've earned the pleasure I'm capable of giving you quite yet," he murmured, his words washing over her as she blinked in confusion. He stood abruptly, and took two steps back, moving away from her. She sat up impulsively, and suddenly feeling more conscious of her exposed state, she pulled the two sides of her bath robe tightly around her. Lucius raised an eyebrow at her, muttering a charm which sent his previously abandoned cane flying into his waiting hand.

"I shall see you at dinner, Virginia," he purred, heading for the door without a second glance back. "And, Virginia? Do put some clothes on."

*.*.*.*.*

**[So?! I'm never quite sure about my smutty scenes, so please tell me exactly what you think - good or bad, I can take it! I live to improve. Also, what do you think of my new cover image for this story? I made it myself (as you can probably tell!). *No copyright infringement intended - I don't own the images! All rights go to the photographers* Please please please leave me a review! x]**


	12. Chapter 12

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***RATED M***

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed Chapter Eleven - RashaTemple, SummerJane'10, Kathalla, Hexe09, and rileypotter17. I appreciate any and all feedback I receive! Also, I'd like to take this chance to shamelessly promote a new community, called "Dark Magic: Lucius Malfoy and OC Stories", which rileypotter17 and I are just getting started with. If you love Lucius as much as we do and are interested in reading about new OCs, please give it a minute of your time, and feel free to recommend any other Lucius/OC stories you'd like to see in the community. Thanks everyone :) x]**

***RATED M***

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

***RATED M***

_*.*_

_"We are alone with our changing minds_

_We fall in love 'til it hurts or bleeds or fades in time..."_

_*.*_

Virginia sat in stunned silence for a good few minutes, staring blankly at the recently vacated door like an inane First Year gapes up at Hogwarts. _He...left._ Her brain was a muddled mess, but her thoughts always came back to those two words.

At first, she was purely shocked. Then, as the reality of the situation sunk in, her emotional state shifted to that of extreme insecurity. _Why did he leave?_ _What did I do?_ These feelings, however, lasted only a fleeting minute, as she played back the situation in her mind's eye. She'd done nothing, she realized; this was some kind of cruel game to him. And then she became angry. She stood up quickly, forced to grab onto the bed post as her head spun. When she had collected herself and felt able to balance again, she charged at her wardrobe, yanking out the first dress she came upon, and threw off her robe impatiently before donning the pale green dress and coming to an abrupt stop.

_What am I doing?_ she asked herself, frantic all of a sudden. _Slow down. Sit down. _She took a deep breath with some difficulty, and sat again on the edge of her bed. The ache between her legs was still prominent, and she shifted uncomfortably on the silky sheets. This realization only made her more angry with Lucius, as her frustration gnawed at her mind.

_How could he do that?_ she hissed at the empty room, grabbing a duck-feather pillow and kneading at it mercilessly. _He shouldn't even have come in here..._

The truth was, however furious she was at that present moment with Lucius Malfoy, she would have given anything for him to walk right back in and finish what he'd started. What did he even mean, she hadn't "earned the pleasure" he was "capable of giving" quite yet? How was she supposed to "earn the pleasure"?

"Virginia?" Her heart leapt as she heard the knock on her door, but even though every fibre of her being longed for it to be the voice of Lucius Malfoy, she recognized it as Draco's. She rushed to the other side of the bed, spreading the sheet across it to give an air of tidiness, and ran a hand through her hair, hoping it didn't carry the appearance of one who had not too long ago been grinding against a wall.

"Come in," she called, trying to sound calm. She stood awkwardly by the side of her bed as Draco entered, and didn't miss the slight raise of his eyebrow as he took in his wife, standing in the middle of the room, resting a hand unnaturally on her hip, her hair looking rather damp.

"You had a bath then?" Draco inquired gauchely, motioning to her hair, and she nodded, flushing guiltily. _It's alright,_ she told herself, _He doesn't know_. Draco cleared his throat, and her eyes met his again. He noticed with concern that she wasn't blinking anywhere near enough to be normal. "Is everything alright, Virginia?" he asked, taking in his surroundings for the first time, but he didn't notice anything amiss.

"Of course," she lied, smiling weakly at him. "Everything's perfectly fine."

Draco nodded again, and pulled out a rolled parchment from inside his dark robes. Virginia realized that he must have only recently returned home from somewhere. "I just received this letter," he started, and Virginia didn't miss the ominous tone in his voice. He began to fiddle with it, twisting the red ribbon in his fingers, almost nervously. "It's from the Ministry."

Virginia's heart beat sped up dangerously: _He knows! _her conscious screeched at her. Her mind raced back to the Ceremony, the fidelity charms placed on the bride..._He must know!_

"It says...well - you should read it yourself." Draco handed the parchment to his wife, and Virginia took it with shaking fingers. Draco folded his arms across his chest, and looked elsewhere, not wanting to see Virginia's reaction.

_"Dear Mr and Mrs Malfoy,_

_The Ministry of Magic wishes to offer its sincerest congratulations on your recent nuptials! We would also like to take this chance to inform you about a certain charm placed upon your persons by the Ministry Official at your ceremony. This charm has informed us of the consummation of your marriage, which means that we are not compelled to take any disciplinary measures. Congratulations._

_The charm placed upon you has further value. As you are aware, the principle aim of this Marriage Law is to repopulate more efficiently the wizarding world. As such, we will expect you to be intimate twice weekly, (until such a time as Mrs Malfoy falls pregnant), in order to more quickly conceive a child. Please note, the Ministry will also be alerted should you purchase or utilize contraception, either Muggle or Magical, as this would completely contravene the Law._

_Congratulations once again on your marriage._

_Regards,_

_The Ministry of Magic"_

Virginia's eyes scanned the letter, before darting up to meet Draco's gaze. He was shifting from foot to foot, watching her worriedly. Although he expected Virginia to be shocked, horrified even, he found that her expression was far from either of those emotions. In reality, Virginia was _relieved_. They didn't know after all, and neither did Draco. Even when what the letter was actually about sunk in, she still wasn't as horrified as Draco thought she'd be, because the letter didn't contain any surprises for her. She'd never doubted that _marital relations_ would have to take place regularly, or that they'd be expected to produce a child. If anything, she was surprised the Ministry had written to tell them that.

"Are you...OK?" Draco asked lamely as she returned the parchment to him. He was surprised when she answered with a seemingly genuine smile that she was absolutely fine. "Good." He nodded curtly, unsure of what to say next. "Well, I'll be out again after lunch. Mother should be back soon..." He smiled stiffly at her, and she at him. "I shall see you at dinner," he concluded with, turning sharply on his heel to leave. Virginia shuddered, as Lucius' exact words from earlier echoed in her head.

"See you then," she replied, her voice lost to the clicking of the door as it swung shut.

Virginia spent the next hour pacing the length of her room, as her rationality and base instincts battled it out for dominance of her thoughts. It was quite a while before the inevitable flood of guilt washed over her like a tide of stinging, cold water, which only intensified her sense of self-loathing, as she realized that not only had she very nearly betrayed her husband, she had also compromised both her relationship with Narcissa, and Narcissa's with Lucius. To make it even worse, even after this realization, a very significant part of her still longed for his touch, sought frantically, desperately, to find a way to be alone with him.

*.*.*.*.*

By the time dinner rolled around, Virginia was in quite a state. She entered the Dining Room with trepidation, and was relieved to find that only Narcissa was seated. She smiled warmly, albeit guiltily, at the older woman, who rose to kiss her on both cheeks.

"I'm so sorry I haven't seen you today," Narcissa said, as they both took their seats, "I've only just returned home. There was something of an altercation at Gringotts - well, I won't bore you with that! Still, tell me: how are you?"

Before Virginia had had a chance to answer, the door swung open and Lucius swept in, his robes flowing out behind him. His chin held high, he graced neither woman with a glance in their direction until he had been seated. He forwent with his normal seat, and took the place next to Virginia. She tried to watch him subtly out of the corner of her eye, but when he smiled directly at Narcissa, who was now placed opposite him, and completely ignored her, it was all she could do not to let her jaw drop open.

She felt utterly wound up, her stomach a twisted knot of frustration and desire, and when Lucius followed his insult by enquiring after Narcissa's day, Virginia was compelled to force herself to breathe deeply. The rational part of her knew she was being unreasonable - he was speaking with his _wife_ after all - yet she clenched her jaw all the same.

Draco entered the room a couple of minutes later, and bent to kiss Virginia on the cheek formally - only then did she feel Lucius' eyes on her, but only for the most fleeting of moments, before he turned back to his conversation with Narcissa. Draco took the seat next to his mother, although not without a fleeting expression of confusion as he took in the change of seating-plan that evening.

The starter was served and eaten as Lucius complimented Narcissa's ideas for a Summer Ball at the Manor, and Virginia's blood began to boil. Draco ate quietly, raising an eyebrow at Virginia when Narcissa began to list off the many, many high-status families she was planning to invite, but Virginia was too preoccupied with her pent up frustration to even notice, and merely smiled half-heartedly back.

The real test of her sanity came after the plates from the main course had been cleared away. Lucius was still engaging in conversation with Narcissa, and hadn't once looked in Virginia's direction since Draco had kissed her, but he chose that moment between courses to 'make contact', as it were. Virginia was startled to say the least as she felt him plant a firm hand on her knee, which soon proceeded to work its way up her thigh. She worked hard to keep her face composed, aware of Draco and Narcissa sitting opposite her, even as her whole body tightened in response to his touch.

She flushed despite herself, and tried to shift away, at once alarmed and aroused by Lucius' actions. His hand clamped down on her thigh in response to her wriggling, until he felt her relax beneath him. His hand continued to roam upwards, coming dangerously close to the lace of her panties. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she grabbed her napkin to give her hands something to do, dabbing at the corners of her mouth delicately, as Lucius' fingers inched ever further up her skirt.

Virginia pressed her thighs together in an attempt to halt his progress, and saw him smirk ever so slightly, although to the outside eye he was fascinated as ever in what Narcissa was saying. He kept his hand where it is was, rubbing in excruciating slow circles at her upper thigh, until the dessert course was served, and Virginia shut her eyes briefly at the loss of contact as he removed his hand.

The rest of the dinner was a blur to Virginia, who could think only of the throbbing between her legs, and of her desperation for Lucius to touch her again - just not under the table in front of his wife and her husband.

She was startled out of her imagination when the Malfoys rose in unison, and Lucius smirked down at her as he extended a gentlemanly hand to help her up. Narcissa and Draco walked ahead of them to the door, and Lucius placed a mock-innocent hand on the small of her back, guiding her gently across the room.

He stopped just before they exited, Draco and Narcissa a few steps ahead, and looked down at Virginia, who was barely upright on her unsteady legs. "I shall be leaving in the morning for a couple of days - I have business in Germany," he told her, pleased to note her widening eyes as she took in what this meant. "I do hope to find you well on my return." He raised an infuriating eyebrow at her, before removing his hand from her, and ushering her out of the room, before taking off down the corridor without a second glance back.

"Virginia," Draco murmured, coming up behind her as she watched his father stride away, "I shall come to your room in an hour or so." It took a second for his words to sink in, and Virginia flushed, swallowing nervously. She saw Narcissa turn away tactfully.

"I'll wait for you," she told him softly, and seemingly satisfied Draco too strode away.

"Come, Virginia, let's have coffee in my chambers," Narcissa said, linking arms with the stunned girl and leading her up the staircase.

*.*.*.*.*

An hour later, and Draco knocked twice on Virginia's door before entering quickly. The girl was already in bed, and Draco thought as he looked at her that she bore resemblance to one drowning under the multiple layers of sheets.

"Good evening," he said formally, regretting his choice of words. He was certain he had never been so graceless with Pansy. He slipped his robe off, and tossed it over the love seat at the end of the bed, revealing dark green pajama bottoms, before pulling back a corner of the bedding and sliding in next to Virginia, who stopped herself from edging away.

"What did you think of Mother's party-planning?" he asked conversationally, after a brief pause of silence, lying on his side to face her. Confusion flashed across Virginia's face, and Draco smirked in amusement, taking in her pretty silhouette, her pert nose and dark eyelashes brushing her cheeks as she blinked, before she shifted to face him. "Don't worry," he smiled as she struggled to think of an answer, "I didn't pay attention for very long either. From the five minutes of what I did listen to though, it sounds positively dreadful."

Virginia smiled in return, glad for his light-hearted attempt at conversation, although she barely remembered a word of what Narcissa had been talking about at dinner - her mind had most definitely been elsewhere. "Did you have a productive day?" she asked him, hoping to stretch out their conversation in a way which meant she wasn't required to say much.

"I did, thank you," he replied, "Father's put me in charge while he's away, so things are getting busier, but I must admit it's not unpleasant having more power in the business." He caught a lock of her hair gently between two fingers, and caressed it, almost absentmindedly.

Before too long he reached out and pulled her closer, pressing kisses on her collar bone, and up her neck, and to his surprise she was far more relaxed than she had been the night before. After a minute had passed, she even snaked her arm lightly around his neck, giving him the confidence to press his lips to hers.

He moved his hand down the side of her body and slipped it under her lace nightie, running it back up over her skin and pulling the fabric up as he went, until it rested around her waist. Draco rested his hand on her stomach for a moment before moving higher to cup her breast, not missing her sharp intake of breath. He broke their kiss to look down at her, but found her eyes closed.

Virginia surprised herself by sighing contentedly when he ran his hand over her sensitive nipple, and flushed when she felt it pucker at his touch. She felt his hand move to her hip and then lower, skimming her thigh, and tried not to think of Lucius. It was impossible.

Draco sat back and removed his bottoms, kicking them off impatiently, before kissing her again, determined not to lose momentum in whatever it was he was doing that was making her react so positively compared to their first night together.

"May I help you out of this?" he asked softly, tugging at her night gown which was now trapped around her hips. She nodded silently and sat up, trying not to meet his eye as he slipped the silky garment over her arms, and dropped it to the side of the bed. Virginia eased back down onto the bed, a blush rising in her cheeks, and she tried to pull the sheet over herself but Draco stopped her.

"Please don't be embarrassed," he whispered against her lips, and warily she dropped the sheet, moving her hands to rest on his shoulders as he held himself over her. He moved his hand again, and this time cupped her sex, taking her sharp intake of breath as a cue to continue, and he stroked her firmly enough that she couldn't help but let out a small whimper, pushing against his hand without even meaning to.

Draco smiled, genuinely relieved that she was so much more relaxed, and silently thanked the gods when, upon pushing a finger inside her, he found her wet. He entered her not long after, and found pleasure easily above her slender form, revelling in the way her pert breasts rubbed against him as she arched her back, and her incoherent mumblings of pleasure, which he assumed was his name on her lips.

He thrust into her, picking up the pace gradually to give her a chance to accommodate his size, and to his somewhat smug surprise, she came undone rather quickly, her inner muscles clenching deliciously around him as she cried out, gripping his shoulders almost painfully, and sending him over the edge quickly afterwards. He collapsed on top of her, panting and sweaty, before pulling out gently and rolling to the side, where he threw an arm over his face as his breath returned to normal.

Virginia gazed at the bed canopy hazily, taking in great gulps of air. She felt the mattress shift beside her, and Draco propped himself up on his elbow, cupping her chin and kissing her gently. She let him, barely capable of forming a coherent thought, although the nagging voice in the back of her mind was beginning to resurface.

"I enjoyed that very much," Draco murmured into her hair, nibbling on her ear, but she barely heard him. He pulled back and rose from the bed, not bothering to cover himself as he made his way over to where he'd abandoned his robe. When he had donned it again, he scooped to pick up his pajama bottoms, and slipped them on, all the while watching her with a satisfied expression spread across his face. It took Virginia until he was putting his bottoms back on to realize that her chest was still exposed, and she snatched at the blanket, covering herself quickly.

Draco approached the bed again, and leant down to kiss Virginia on the forehead. "Goodnight," he said quietly, and only turned back to give her one last lingering look when he reached the door. The minute it had closed behind him, Virginia flopped back down onto the bed, and let out a long groan. _What on earth just happened?_

*.*.*.*.*

"Leizl!" Narcissa cried with surprise, accidentally splashing the house-elf with jasmine-scented bath water as the creature popped up beside the bath tub.

"Leizl apologizes, Mistress!" she told her hurriedly, tripping over her words in her apprehension. "Master Lucius wants you to be going to Master's quarters, Mistress, and Master says he is not wanting to wait."

Narcissa's brow furrowed as she took the information in. "How did he seem, Leizl? Angry?"

"No, Mistress, not angry. Leizl isn't knowing exactly how Master was feeling..."

"That's alright, Leizl," Narcissa reassured, gratefully accepting the fluffy towel the house-elf had passed her, and wrapping it around herself as she stepped out of the bath. "Please tell my husband that I will be with him presently." Leizl nodded and disappeared with a pop, leaving Narcissa to dry herself hurriedly, hoping that she wasn't in trouble.

She made herself presentable as quickly as she could, before rushing to Lucius' rooms. She knocked timidly and heard her husband's distinct, harsh tones: "You may enter." Lucius was seated in an armchair in the corner of the room, gripping a glass of what looked like brandy in one hand, but as she entered he set it down and rose to meet her.

Narcissa made her way towards him, trying to read his expression for a clue as to what he wanted her for. Her enquiring look was met with the dark gaze of Lucius, whose eyes roamed her body leisurely, pleased with her choice of a lacey black robe, which hugged her slim waist alluringly.

"Is everything alright, Husband?" she asked hesitantly, but he silenced her by grasping her wrists roughly in one larger hand and pulling her behind him over to his king-sized bed, before twisting so that she was between him and the dark green sheets, and pushing her down onto it. Her heart beat rose considerably as she looked up at him, his stiff jaw and dark eyes.

"Lucius-" she began, but again he cut her off, removing her robe with a flick of his wand and crawling on top of her, pulling her wrists up over her head and securing them there with a muttered spell. He sat up on his heels and swiftly pulled off his own trousers and crisp white shirt, before attacking her lips with a fearsome passion, gripping her waist with what was almost certainly a bruising force.

"Spread your legs," he sneered, and she complied at once, allowing him to reposition himself over her. He saw her eying his Dark Mark, as she always did, as though she imagined it would someday magically disappear. His erection throbbed as he looked down at his wife, and although he would far rather have been fucking a certain other witch, his body was too far gone with unadulterated lust to care much.

*.*.*.*.*

Virginia only remained in her bed for long enough to realize that hope of sleep that night was futile, and then she rose and scurried into the ensuite, turning the taps of the bath onto full power and pulling her thick hair up into a bun to save it from getting wet, before stepping into the hot water and lying back, allowing herself to sink into the soothing water. She summoned a nearby bottle of bath oil and poured it in liberally, inhaling the sweet scent until she felt almost delirious, desperate to escape the nagging voice in her head.

_Slut_, it hissed maliciously, _How can you still want Lucius?_

She rubbed her temples, remembering how sweet Draco had been, how well he'd treated her. How _good_ it had felt. Yet, she couldn't deceive herself, even if she had Draco convinced: it hadn't been her husband's name on the tip of her tongue as she writhed on the sheets in pleasure. And, even after all of that, she still couldn't shake her body's longing, its _aching_, to see Lucius.

She waited impatiently in the bath until she felt clean again, before stepping out, dripping all over the marble floor, and swiped a towel over her skin to dry it, wishing she'd thought to bring her wand into the bathroom with her to do it with magic.

Once back in the main room she rummaged through her chest of drawers, eventually locating what she was looking for: a matching set of pink silk underwear she had been given by Addy as a facetious "Good Luck at Hogwarts" / "Meet some nice boys!" present, which she'd never even thought about actually wearing before now. She slipped them on, and donned a long black robe over the top, before opening her bedroom door and checking each way down the corridor - the coast was clear.

She padded down the corridor quietly in her bare feet, her brain too clouded to even realize exactly what she was getting herself into. The thought that she might encounter Narcissa or Draco on her travels didn't even cross her mind.

Somehow, in her foggy state of mind, she managed to reach Lucius' rooms undetected, and was about to knock on the door, desperate to see him before he went away, when she stopped dead in her tracks. From the other side of the door, she could hear the unmistakable sounds of Narcissa, screaming out the name of her husband in pleasure.

Virginia froze for just a second. Then, she lowered her hand from the door, and ran, as tears spilt down her cheeks in streams of irrational anguish.

**[Thoughts, everyone? What's going on between Draco and Virginia? And will Lucius really be able to leave without seeing Virginia again - even just for a couple of days? How will Virginia feel towards Narcissa after all of this? Please let me know in the review section, it would mean the world to me! Thanks everyone :) x]**


	13. Chapter 13

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***RATED M***

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed Chapter Twelve - RashaTemple, Hexe09, rileypotter17, and the Anonymous Guest whom I can't get back to in person - thank you all! I love reviews so much. Enjoy Chapter Thirteen, and ideas are welcome, as always, for future chapters - just let me know :) x]**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

_*.*_

_"And I never saw you coming,_

_And I'll never be the same..."_

_*.*_

"Let's go to Diagon Alley this morning!"

Narcissa smiled brightly at her own suggestion, as Virginia clenched her jaw, glaring into silver bowl of porridge. The morning of Lucius' departure for Germany had come far too quickly for Virginia, who was still shaken after what she'd overheard the night before, and yet it also seemed to be dragging on dreadfully. At that particular moment over breakfast, she couldn't decide who she was more angry with, Narcissa or Lucius, but the one thing she knew for sure was that she was longing for Lucius' return with all her heart - well, all her body at least.

"Mmhmmm..." she murmured noncommittally, not even looking up at Narcissa, who had yet to notice her foul mood. The truth of the matter was, as much as Narcissa loved Lucius (as any good, Pure-Blood wife should), she was undeniably more relaxed when he wasn't around, and with Draco having left the Manor early that morning, she was looking forward to a girly day with her daughter-in-law - so much so that she had obliviously overlooked Virginia's sulking for a good half-hour, as she chatted, with few interruptions and mostly to herself, about the Summer Ball she was planning so avidly.

"We can start looking for ball gowns now - it's never too early, you know..." she continued, the light-hearted ring in her voice striking Virginia's ears like a screeching portrait. "And this afternoon, I'm going to take you to visit two of my Goddaughters, Leto and Kalliope. Their father, Oscar Perez, is a good friend of mine..." In her sullen state, Virginia missed the wistful edge to Narcissa's ramblings as she went on to tell Virginia all about the virtues of Oscar Perez, the new Editor of the Daily Prophet since Cuffe retired.

"His wife, Victoria, passed away when the girls were only little," she explained to Virginia, who was picking despondently at her food, "He's been a wonderful Father to them, and hired only the very best governesses to teach them. He really is quite amazing..." She smiled absentmindedly to herself, and Virginia started to pay a little more attention, raising an eyebrow. All of a sudden, she became interested in meeting this man, the mere thought of whom was having a clear affect on Narcissa.

"Anyway," Narcissa continued a minute later, "Leto is a year younger than you, Virginia - a quiet girl, but very sweet. And Kalliope was married last year, so not under the Marriage Law, luckily for her - she's five months pregnant at the moment. I think you'll get on with both of them."

"That sounds lovely," Virginia said, her voice dry and more bored-sounding than even she, in her anger at Narcissa, felt she could get away with.

Narcissa's brow furrowed, and she reached across the table to take Virginia's hand, prompting Virginia's eyes to meet hers. "Is everything alright, darling? You don't seem yourself this morning..."

Virginia swallowed, and bit her lower lip, trying to think of an answer. The ice on her heart melted despite herself as Narcissa patted her hand comfortingly, the mother she'd never had. How could she be so angry to this woman? What had she done, really?

"I'm sorry, Narcissa," Virginia said quietly, her voice breaking on the last syllable as a tear slid down her cheek. _How could I be so awful?_, she asked herself, as tears of guilt and frustration continued to make their way down her face. Narcissa rose immediately and came to sit by her side, putting an arm around her shoulder. She'd spent a morning hating this woman, who had done nothing but spend a night with her husband - in _his_ room, too, which prompted another wave of anger in Virginia, this time directed at Lucius. She knew full well that Narcissa wouldn't have even been in Lucius' rooms unless Lucius himself had requested her to be there. And that meant that he had _wanted _to sleep with her. Even after the events of morning. He'd teased her, like some cheap tart, and then gone straight back to his lawful wedded wife. Of course.

"I'm so foolish..." she sniffled, taking the handkerchief Narcissa had summoned gratefully, and dabbing at her eyes with it impatiently.

"Has something happened with Draco?" Narcissa prompted, but Virginia shook her head, but soon regretted it. She was now forced to think up a new excuse, swearing at that moment never to do anything to hurt Narcissa, even if that meant lying to her.

"It's just..." she began, her voice faltering, "Only... I'm feeling quite overwhelmed."

"But of course you are, darling!" Narcissa declared, relieved it was nothing more serious, rubbing her shaking back reassuringly. "This is all so new to you." She allowed Virginia to cry softly, murmuring comforting things to her until she calmed down enough to smile weakly at the older woman.

"Come, let's go out - this house can be stifling sometimes, and you haven't left it for too long," Narcissa decided, helping Virginia to her feet.

*.*.*.*.*

Virginia and Narcissa spent the morning in Diagon Alley, and with every shop they went into, Virginia became more and surprised at just how much money the Malfoys had. Narcissa, perhaps out of mere kindness, perhaps as a result of Virginia's minor breakdown at breakfast, took it upon herself to purchase for the girl anything she so much as glanced at, and after only a couple of hours Virginia was on the verge of being embarrassed by how much money Narcissa had spent on her.

Having sent their bags of purchases back to the Manor with a house-elf, the women stopped for lunch at an upmarket restaurant just off Gringotts, and conversation turned Virginia's time at Beauxbatons, and her friendship with Addy.

"Deniau..." Narcissa mused, stirring her Lime-Whiskey cocktail as she wracked her brains, "Adriene Deniau, why does that name sound familiar...?" She stopped her stirring suddenly, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Your friend," she asked, her voice hoarse, "She doesn't have any sisters, does she?"

"Yes, four sisters - why?" Narcissa brought her hand to her temples, and rubbed them as if she was in pain.

"No, no, it doesn't matter," she replied, trying to keep her voice light, despite the fact the colour had drained from her already pale cheeks.

"Narcissa, are you OK?" Virginia asked, concerned and intrigued at once. "Do you know the Deniau family?"

Narcissa took a minute to answer, and drew in a deep breath, resuming her stirring of the cocktail, slower this time. "I - well, _Lucius_ - knew one of Adriene's older sisters."

"Which one?" Virginia asked, her interest roused.

"Do you know...Nicoline?" Narcissa enquired, trying to sound calm and collected, even as her heart pounded furiously in her chest, as memories of _that woman_ came flooding back to her, memories she'd tried to block out.

Virginia nodded, her mind racing back to Addy's last letter, in which Addy had told her that Niccy's friend had been a mistress of Lucius', and that it had ended badly for some reason. "I know her, yes. She's a few years older than Addy and I, she works in the French Ministry now. I wasn't aware that Lucius knew her..." she added, hoping this wasn't too an impertinent comment to make.

"Lucius and Nicoline were _acquainted_, for a time. Actually, Virginia, may I ask that this conversation remains between us? There was quite a 'drama' at the time of their connection, and it's in our past now." She smiled stiffly at Virginia, who nodded, although her brow furrowed as she tried to make the connections she needed to work out why Narcissa was suddenly acting so strangely.

"Thank you, darling," she added, downing the rest of her cocktail in one gulp, a very un-Narcissa thing to do, Virginia thought as she looked on. "Very well," the older woman said, plastering a cheerful smile on her face and rising, "We'd better be going if we're to make it to the Perez's home in time".

They apparated together, and when Virginia had returned to her full senses after the stress to the body of side-long apparation, she found herself stood in front of a small, unimposing cottage, not at all what she'd been expecting the Editor of the Daily Prophet to live in. The house had a gingerbread trim and was placed firmly in the shade of the September sun by the small forest of trees surrounding it on all sides.

Turning, Virginia found Narcissa running a comb through her hair, and thought again how strangely the older woman was behaving that day. She slipped the comb into her robe pocket as the front door opened, and a tall, well-groomed young woman rushed down the path, her jersey dress accentuating her swollen belly prominently, her dark hair flying out behind her, catching in the wind.

"Aunt Cissy!" she practically shrieked, and Narcissa caught her in her outstretched arms, pulling the young woman into a warm embrace.

"Kallie, Kallie, Kallie," Narcissa cooed, holding her Goddaughter at arms lengths and looking her over, "You really are glowing, aren't you? How are you my dear?"

"I doing well," Kalliope smiled back, "I'm so glad you came." She released Narcissa, and turned to Virginia, who was observing the meeting from a couple of steps behind Narcissa. "You must be Virginia!" she exclaimed, and before Virginia had a chance to reply she too was being embraced warmly by Kallie, as if they were old friends.

"It's a pleasure," Virginia said, her voice muffled by Kallie's hair.

"The pleasure's all mine," Kallie told her sincerely when she pulled back, "Aunt Cissy's told me such great things about you." She turned back to the house and linked arms with a surprised Virginia, and Narcissa took her other arm as they approached the open front door.

They came into a small reception hall, as Leto, Kallie's younger sister, was descending the stairs, looking markedly shy. "Leto, darling, it's lovely to see you," Narcissa called, taking the first few steps and embracing the younger girl, who watched Virginia warily over her Godmother's shoulder, a timid smile playing on her lips. She was much smaller than her sister in every sense of the word, perhaps most noticeably her personality.

Leto lingered on the stairs even after Narcissa took a step back, and Kallie beckoned for their guests to follow her through to cosy sitting room, where she had laid out mismatched tea cups and saucers on a tray.

Leto slipped in as they were sitting down, and placed herself next to Narcissa, who put an arm around her and pulled her closer lovingly. "Is your father around?" Narcissa asked, patting her up-do sub-consciously, and Virginia didn't miss the slight smirk and raised eyebrow Kallie shot at her sister.

"He'll be home anytime now," Kallie giggled, and Virginia could have sworn Narcissa blushed slightly as she poured herself a cup of tea. In fact, they didn't have to wait long at all, as the short doorframe was filled with the unmistakably masculine form of Oscar Perez.

*.*.*.*.*

Narcissa rose as Oscar entered, and although he patted Leto on the shoulder as he passed by, his eyes never left hers. "It's been too long, Narcissa," he said as he approached, his voice deep, and very fitting of a man of his broad stature. He leant to kiss Narcissa on both cheeks, clasping her upper arms and pulling her closer to him.

"It really has, Oscar," she agreed, again patting her hair as he released her, and again Virginia noticed the pointed looks exchanged between Kalliope and Leto.

"This must be the new Mrs Malfoy," Oscar said, turning his broad smile to Virginia, who stood up to receive a peck on the cheek from him.

"How do you do?" she replied politely, warming to the man immediately. There was something extremely likable about him, something that almost reminded Virginia of her own father, yet he was far more accommodating, and practically radiated warmth. He was about as far removed from the likes of Lucius, Virginia reflected later, as a man could get.

"I've heard a lot about you," Oscar told her with a smile, gesturing for her to sit down again, and passing her some tea. "I'm sorry we couldn't make the wedding, but we were visiting family back in Mexico..." His dark eyes drifted back to Narcissa, and he ran a hand over his slightly stubbly chin in a way Virginia found strangely endearing.

There was a pause in conversation, as Narcissa and Oscar gazed fondly at one another, until Narcissa said: "Perhaps we should leave the girls to get to know each other?"

"Good idea," Oscar agreed, a tad too eagerly to be subtle, and with barely a glance back the two adults left the room, heading across the hall to what Virginia assumed was another sitting room of sorts.

As soon as the door shut behind them, both Kalliope and Leto began to laugh, and Virginia joined in, albeit less enthusiastically, out of politeness. "You noticed too then?" Kalliope asked, when he chuckling had subsided, smiling widely at Virginia.

"Erm - well, they seem like they must go back a long way..."

"Ha - that's one way to put it!" Leto laughed, speaking up for the first time.

"Put what?" Virginia enquired, watching the sisters with amusement, and unable to keep a straight face.

"They are SO in love!" Kalliope explained, brushing her thick hair away from her face, and giggling even more at Virginia's shocked expression.

"They just won't admit it," Leto added, nodding in agreement. "Every-time she visits, Narcissa asks is our Dad is here, and the minute he comes in they do _that_."

"I don't even think they realize they're flirting anymore!" Kalliope cut in, shaking her head. "It's quite amusing, really."

"So...Wait-" Virginia stuttered, shocked. She'd assumed Narcissa was completely devoted to Lucius.

"Don't look so appalled, sweetie," Kallie said, offering her the biscuit plate, "It's not like they're having an affair or anything-"

"That we know of!" Leto cut in with a smirk.

"Oh sshhh, Leto," Kallie jibed fondly, before turning back to Virginia. "It's just flirting, completely innocent. I think it does both of them good. It's more like courtly love than anything unseemly."

"Exactly. And that Lucius is no fun. Aunt Cissy needs a little fun."

"You don't like Lucius?" Virginia asked Leto, surprised. Leto shook her head, grimacing.

"Merlin, no!"

"Actually," Kallie cut in, "Strictly speaking it's more that he doesn't like us - what with the whole 'blood purity' thing..."

Virginia's eyes widened. "So, you're..."

"You didn't know? Well, why would you? Our Dad is 'pure blood', but Mother was Muggle-Born. When Lucius found out, the story goes that he forbade Narcissa from seeing our Mother."

"But," Leto continued, taking over from her sister, now seeming to have found her voice, "Lucius was so preoccupied with his _other women_ when we were both born, that Narcissa became our Godmother without him even noticing, and when he did, it was too late!"

"Then, when Mother died, Lucius gave up with trying to stop Narcissa from seeing us. He never visits though, obviously..."

"I had no idea," Virginia said, genuinely shocked. She'd known that Lucius had fought on the 'Dark Side' in the War, but had never given much thought to the fact until now. She certainly hadn't realized how prejudiced he was.

"Anyway," Kalliope said, interrupting her train of thought, "Tell us about Draco - what's he like?"

*.*.*.*.*

"Oscar, I have a problem," Narcissa said, reaching out to take Oscar's hand in what she assured herself was merely a friendly gesture, nothing more.

"What is it, _querida_"? he asked, squeezing her hand gently, and setting down his glass.

"Do you remember Nicoline Deniau?" Oscar nodded, his jaw tightening at the name. "Virginia knows her."

*.*.*.*.*

**[Ooh, some actual plot! What's going on with me?! So, what do you think? It's a bit of a different chapter, I know, but I'm pretty pleased with it to be honest, and I had fun writing some new characters. Lucius will be making a return soon! What do you think the problem with Niccy Deniau is? And what about Narcissa and Oscar? How do you like Leto and Kallie? Please let me know in the review section, and I'll send virtual hugs your way :p x]**


	14. Chapter 14

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***RATED A STRONG M***

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Just a quick note today, to once again promote ****_rileypotter17_**** and my new Lucius/OC Community - new stories are being added, so please do check it out :) x]**

***RATED A STRONG M***

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

_*.*_

_"So you were never a saint,_

_And I've loved in shades of wrong..."_

_*.*_

Virginia stayed up late the evening following her meeting with the Perez family, composing, writing, and re-writing a letter to Addy. Her mind couldn't settle as it buzzed, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and work out what exactly what had happened with Niccy Deniau, and why Narcissa had had such a negative reaction to her name. Addy hadn't even said that her sister knew Lucius very well. It just didn't make sense.

She finally settled on a short letter, which she didn't deem too nosey or suspicious sounding. She knew that Addy would never deliberately lie to her, and could only assume there was something she didn't know. Having sent the letter off with an owl, her thoughts turned to the other pressing matter, one which had been bothering her since Kallie and Leto had brought it up - Lucius' past.

Of course, it was no secret that Lucius had been on the so called 'Dark Side' in the war, and although Virginia had been sheltered from the danger and even the news reports, she knew from other people how notorious the Malfoy name was.

It also didn't come as a complete shock to her how prejudiced her was again non-Pure bloods, as the old, aristocratic families often were, her own Mother's family included. Was did shock her naïve self was how he actually behaved towards the Perezs, especially since Narcissa was obviously so fond of them. Holding strong views on blood-purity in theory was far removed from actually practicing those opinions in every day matters, Virginia was coming to understand.

She shivered as the cool evening breeze skimmed her bare shoulders, and rose to shut the window against the draught. She was about to turn back to her bed and undress, but something caught her eye. Peering out through the glass across the dark, short cut expanse of grass which made up the 'gardens' of the Manor, her eyes widened as she made out the slim figure of Narcissa, arms linked with someone who looked suspiciously like Oscar Perez.

*.*.*.*.*

Narcissa too had felt the cold breeze rush over her, and pulled her shawl a little tighter around her shoulders, smiling up at Oscar as they walked the perimeter of the tall hedgerows. She couldn't help but ask herself what exactly she was getting herself into - Oscar hadn't come near the Manor in years now, let alone spent an evening alone with her - but she couldn't help herself. Something drew her to him, and after their short time spent together that afternoon, when he'd suggested a _rendezvous_ that evening, she hadn't hesitated to accept.

"You seem tense, Cissy - what's the matter?" he asked her gently, coming to a stop and brushing his thumb over her cheek.

"I'm fine, really," she replied, but her brave words didn't fool one of her oldest friends. Oscar took her arm again and led her over to one of the iron benches.

"Tell me - I can help."

Narcissa sighed, and clasped his hand. "You're too good to me, you know, Oscar?"

He chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling in sincerity as he tossed his head back in the way which had never failed to bring a smile to Narcissa's face in Merlin knew how many years. "I don't suppose Kalliope and Leto have told you their theory?" he asked, changing the subject, as a mischievous glint shone in his chocolate eyes. Narcissa shook her head, but the blush rising in her cheeks told a different story.

"You've guessed it though?" he pushed, tilting her chin up with one finger so she was forced to meet his eyes, and the endless humour she always found there.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Oscar," she told him, mock-firmly, lifting her chin and running her tongue over her suddenly dry lips. Oscar's bright eyes darted down to watch the sub-conscious action.

"Come on, Cissy," he teased, running his hand lightly over the patch of skin on the inside of her elbow, where he knew she was ticklish. "I bet Draco and Virginia don't giggle whenever Lucius looks at you..." His expression sobered as he caught Narcissa's expression. She pulled away from him and shuffled back on the bench, hinting at him to remove his hands.

"Lucius and I are married, Oscar," she told him, her voice suddenly colder. Oscar regarded her for a moment, almost sadly. His voice was quiet when he spoke.

"And yet you're here with me." He sighed, and took Narcissa's hand again, relieved when she didn't pull it away, although she didn't meet his eye.

"Do you love him, Cissy?"

"Of course!" she replied hastily, her right hand automatically coming to touch her gold wedding band.

"And yet," Oscar repeated, "You're frightened of him."

"I'm not-" she argued, but he cut over her.

"Cissy, he's all the way in Germany, not due back until tomorrow evening at the very latest, and yet you're still afraid to let me, an old friend, into the house."

"Virginia and Draco are in there..." she offered, a lame excuse.

"In your rooms?"

"Well no, but..."

"Narcissa," he spoke softly, using her full name for the first time that evening, "I'm not trying to make you feel uncomfortable. I just want you to know how much I miss you when we're apart for so long. I miss hearing you laugh, I miss this face," he said, cupping her cheek in a large hand. "You're relationship with Lucius is none of my business, and you know full well how I feel about the man. Just remember: I'm here for you."

Narcissa smiled gratefully, although she still felt the tiniest bit uneasy. "As a friend..." she half stated, half-asked.

Oscar nodded. "As a friend, or...As whatever you want me to be, Cissy." He leaned in closer to her, retrieving the corner of her shawl which she hadn't even noticed had fallen, and replacing it over her shoulder, eye contact never faltering. "You know how I feel about you, Cissy," he whispered when his head was level with her ear, "And you know I would happily spend the rest of my life with you."

*.*.*.*.*

The next day went painfully slowly for Virginia. Draco was busy with whatever it was he and Lucius did - _not that he would spend time with me anyway_, Virginia reminded herself, - and Narcissa had claimed to be 'indisposed', and taken to her room for the day, apologizing to Virginia profusely in a note delivered by Mimi that she would unable to spend time with her that day.

Part of Virginia was relieved, although not for the first time during her life at the Manor she found herself rather bored, rather quickly after breakfast. She decided that exploring Lucius' office again was out of the question, and until Addy replied to her owl she couldn't keep up correspondence with her.

Kallie and Leto had given her an open invitation to visit whenever she wanted, but she felt guilty about leaving Narcissa alone in the Manor all day, and didn't particularly want to bother the girls two days in a row.

Predictably, her thoughts turned to Lucius, but after an hour of quiet contemplation she was beginning to wish he'd never laid eyes on her. Too much time to think didn't do Virginia any good, and she was starting to question their whole relationship, if it could be called a relationship at all. The ultimate fact of the matter was, she was still highly angry and highly frustrated with the man, and was trapped in the unfortunate position of simultaneously longing for and dreading his return.

The day passed in a dull state of stillness. Virginia tried to entertain herself by reading, but she found her eyes wandering over the pages, skimming the words and taking nothing in.

She shared a quiet meal with Draco, which wasn't anywhere as uncomfortable as their earlier meetings had been, but lacked any real excitement as he recounted his day's work, which bore no real meaning to Virginia, who merely nodded politely and asked vague questions to keep him talking.

She was preparing to go to bed early, mostly out of sheer boredom, when there was a light tapping on her door, and she let Bron in, bearing a small silver tray.

"For you, Miss," he told her, holding the tray up so that she could remove the parchment. Her eyes scanned the note:

_I request the honour of your company this evening, Virginia. Come to my study._

_L.M._

"Master asked for a reply, Miss," Bron told her, and Virginia replied without a second thought, her thoughts already two steps ahead of her.

"Tell him 'yes'."

*.*.*.*.*

Lucius paced his study impatiently as he waited for Virginia. He been back in the Manor for barely half an hour, and had made sure that neither Draco or Narcissa knew he'd returned; as far as they would be aware, he had returned the next morning, and spent the night in Germany. He had thoughts only for Virginia at that moment.

He thought back to their last encounter, under the dinner table, the beautiful flush which had adorned her cheeks as he'd caressed her thigh, and then afterwards, her shock when he'd told her about his trip. And the time before back, leaving her sprawled on her bed, desperately _wanting_ him. He smirked to himself, feeling the familiar ache beginning as he thought about her.

Virginia turned the corner of the corridor in which Lucius' study was located, and tugged her dress down self-consciously, wishing she'd worn something slightly more modest than the slinky black number she'd chosen in her haste. Even worse was the stab of guilt she felt as she remembered who exactly had bought her that dress only the day before.

_Still_, she reasoned as she made her way quietly down the corridor, _I'm not here to do anything unseemly. I won't betray Narcissa, or Draco. I just need to see him_. Virginia, in her hastily formed plans after Bron had delivered Lucius' note, had decided upon a rather risky plan of action. As she'd opened her wardrobe, she'd come across the under-garments she'd worn the last time she'd tried to see Lucius, and when the robe she'd been wearing when he'd come into her room unannounced also caught her eye, the anger she'd dismissed two days ago overwhelmed her once again.

Her plan was simple, if under-prepared. She would give him a taste of his own medicine, and, if all went to plan, put him off her. She knew, in her heart of hearts, that if things kept on going as they were, she wouldn't be strong enough to prevent things from going any further with the infuriating man, but hoped that if she pushed him far enough that he no longer wanted her either, it would no longer be relevant. In her young mind's state of tumult, she didn't even consider the naïvety of her plan, nor its many, many potential flaws.

She reached the door, and knocked firmly, steeling herself for what was to come, a slight wave of panic washing over her as she realized that making an enemy of Lucius might not be very wise at all.

The door swung open after a beat, revealing Lucius in an unusually casual choice of clothing, a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black trousers. A slow smile spread across his face as he took Virginia in, her figure-hugging dress down to her bare feet - unorthodox, yet surprisingly erotic.

For a moment, Virginia's plans were forgotten as she gazed up at him, but when his eyes lingered a moment too long on her chest, her resolve was set. "Lucius," she said, and his eyes shot to her face at her tone of confidence, and something else he couldn't put his finger on. He stepped back and beckoned her in, planting a hand on her lower back as she passed.

"How was your trip, Sir?" she asked, voice sugar-sweet, as she began to attempt to put her poorly-formed plan into action. Lucius missed the fake edge to her voice, revelling in the way she called him "Sir".

"It was..._solitary_, Virginia. I'll admit that I found myself missing company." His voice was low and sultry, and Virginia had to make a conscious effort not to let it affect her in the way he was surely aiming for. "May I offer you a drink?" he asked, catching a lock of her wavy hair and running his fingers down it absentmindedly. Virginia nodded.

_You can do this, Virginia,_ she encouraged herself as he was turned away. _Just a little bit longer, flirt with him, do what you have to to make him want you - then leave. It will be easy. _

Lucius returned to where he'd left her standing and passed her one of two tumblers. "Lofichor's Finest FireWhiskey - the strongest brand in Wizarding Germany," he told her, clinking glasses with her and taking a long sip, eyes never leaving hers. Virginia wished she'd asked for water, but put the glass to her lips nonetheless, and took in the smallest amount, coughing the moment it hit her throat, feeling the burn.

Lucius chuckled low in his throat. "Did I mention it's also banned in Britain?" He finished his glass and took Virginia's from her, his lips still wet with traces of the alcohol. Virginia dabbed her lips delicately with the back of her hand, feeling heat rising in her cheeks from that small drop.

"How have you been sleeping, Virginia?" Lucius asked seemingly randomly, taking her aback.

"How have I been sleeping?" she repeated, fumbling in the dark for a flirtatious answer to give him. "Why do you ask, Sir?"

Lucius smirked. "Only because, as I recall, the last couple of times we met you were rather..._worked up_." _Oh, he's going to go _there_, is he?_ Virginia thought, her body tensing as she too thought back to their meetings before he left on his trip. "I only wondered if you'd found 'relief'," he concluded, watching with pleasure as a blush rose in her cheeks.

"No thanks to you," Virginia answered before thinking, and her hand flew to cover her mouth the second the words slipped out. Lucius raised his eyebrow at her outburst, and took his time in answering, building a tense silence.

_What was that?_ Virginia scolded herself internally - _you're meant to be teasing him, not angering him_. Lucius reached his hand up, and gripped Virginia's chin, almost roughly. "What was that?" he hissed, and Virginia saw the anger in his eyes. _Abandon plan! _she told herself, cursing herself for her foolishness. _It's okay_, she reasoned, deciding that really she'd only speeded up her original plan, which after all was to make him angry with her, make him dislike her, put him off her. He certainly seemed angry already.

She took a deep breath, and continued, her tone righteous, pitched deliberately to annoy Lucius further. She knew he was waiting for a contrite apology, which normally she would have given gladly, but she boldly took the conversation in a different direction, pleased when Lucius' jaw tightened. "I actually found 'relief' elsewhere, but thank you for asking."

"You did what?" he sneered, and the pure rage in his eyes was enough to scare Virginia, even in her provocative frame of mind. She continued nonetheless, albeit slightly less confidently.

"You weren't available when I came to see you," she told him. "You made me wait."

Lucius' cold eyes searched hers, his grip tightening on her chin so that she couldn't move her head. She glared back defiantly, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I see," he replied finally, "You think you can get your own back on me. You're going to refuse me, aren't you?" Virginia's eyes widened at his accusation, giving herself away. Lucius saw this and chuckled coldly, calculatedly, _dangerously_.

He brought his free hand to her waist, and held her in place as he stepped forwards, closing the gap between them and pushing himself against her. He dropped his head, noticing her rapid breathing which she was trying to conceal, and brought his lips down on her exposed neck, brushing her hair out of his way. An involuntary shiver ran down Virginia's spine at this action, and she desperately tried to centre her thoughts. _I'm meant to be in control her!_ she screeched at herself.

Lucius began to move his hand up and down her back, shockingly gentle considering his obvious anger with her, and this only served to put Virginia even more on edge.

"I need to leave, Lucius," she told him, and tried to step out of his hold, but he was quicker and in two easy strides had her pushed against the nearest wall, in practically the same position she'd been in two days before. Unbidden, desire began to pool in her lower abdomen, just as it had then.

Suddenly, she felt Lucius stiffen, and he bit down painfully on her shoulder, causing her to yelp. He slammed his palm against the wall, half a meter away from her head, and she nearly jumped out of her skin at the noise.

"Your plan has certainly worked, Virginia - I am most definitely angry," he informed her calmly, directly into her ear. She trembled as his words sunk in. "But, if you think for one moment that you're going to leave me waiting..." He didn't finish his sentence, but then again he didn't need to. His hand had been working its way up her dress, and he pressed a few fingers firmly against her centre, rubbing tortuously slowly as Virginia gasped, struggling not to writhe against his hand.

He slipped a finger into her panties, and smirked triumphantly. "You're so wet for me," he snarled, taking a step back and withdrawing his finger, bringing it up to her mouth. "Taste yourself," he ordered, taking advantage of her already slightly parted lips and thrusting his finger into her mouth.

Virginia felt like banging her head against the wall, wondering furiously how it had got to this. _This was not meant to happen!_ She closed her lips around his digit, and sucked dutifully, watching as his pupils dilated with lust.

The moment Lucius withdrew his finger, his body crushed hers back against the wall, and he possessed her mouth fiercely. Virginia knew that she should try to stop him, that she should pull away, but she lied to herself, pretending to be intimidated, overwhelmed. She pretended that she couldn't stop him if she wanted to.

He rained rough kisses down her neck, and she arched her back, moaning in a voice she didn't even recognize.

His hips bolted forward at the noise, his skin tingling, and he pinned her even harder against the wall. Another moan escaped from her lips, her plans utterly forgotten.

"Impatient little slut, aren't we?" he hissed in her ear, which at once infuriated, shocked, and aroused her, although she tried to ignore the deluge of wetness she felt between her legs at his words.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about your _impertinence_," he warned her, gripping her wrists even more roughly in his hand, nearly to the point of pain. "What you need is a good, hard _spanking_," he told her, smirking as her mouth fell open, from a combination of shock and pleasure, as he slipped his free hand up to her breast, and squeezed it roughly.

"Luckily for you, _Miss Renwick_, I'm feeling forgiving - I shall postpone your punishment, for now. I have other plans for you tonight." With this, he pulled her forwards, away from the wall, and cupped the back of her neck, his lips meetings hers in a shattering kiss.

"Hold on," he instructed her, and before she realized what was happening they were in his bedroom, and Lucius was pushing her down onto his bed, shedding his robe and joining her, straddling her as he captured her wrists again, pulling them over her head so that they brushed the headboard.

"Tell me how much you want this, Virginia," he commanded, letting go of her wrists as he tugged his clothes off.

"Lucius..." she groaned, squirming deliciously beneath him as he started to unbutton his shirt.

"Tell me," he insisted, his tone harsh, and he paused his undressing to work on her dress, grasping the hem around the neckline and pulling, shedding the thin garment with ease and revealing her creamy chest to him. "Tell. Me." He articulated his third order by pinching her erect nipples simultaneously, prompting her back to arch involuntarily, rubbing against his tented boxers.

"I want you," she cried out in confession, bringing her hands away from the headboard to push his off her breasts, which she was certain couldn't take any more stimulation like that. Lucius' eyes darkened as she did so, and he slapped her hands away angrily.

"Did I tell you you could move?" he snarled, giving her left nipple a particularly sharp tug before pulling her wrists up again and holding them down with easy force. She bit her lip and shook her head, her thighs rubbing together as the heat between her legs demanded friction of some sort.

"I'm going to take you, Virginia," he told her calmly, his voice not betraying his thumping heart. "I'm going to hold you down and take you on my bed, moaning like a slut." She made an incoherent noise in the back of her throat, and he smirked wickedly. "You're going to scream my name. And, _if you're lucky_, I'm going to let you come. Although you don't deserve to." Virginia moaned pitifully, arching her back and rubbing against his clothed erection again.

Lucius wasted no more time. He quickly and easily removed his boxers, before pulling the rest of Virginia's dress in two, and helping her pull her arms through the holes. His eyes strayed to her modest panties, and he pressed his hand over the damp patch he found there, cupping her possessively until she whimpered beneath his touch, before gripping the hem and tugging them impatiently down her legs.

"Open your eyes," he ordered, positioning himself above her. As soon as she'd obeyed, he slid into her easily, and though she gasped at his size, unsure of whether she felt more pain or pleasure, Virginia simply didn't care anymore.

He thrust into her sharply, and she cried out for him to go on almost incoherently, even though she knew she should be begging him and pleading with him to stop. Her senses came alive as she inhaled him, listened to his deep, guttural moan, lost herself in his cold, grey eyes. A thrill cursed through her quivering body as he bit down hard on her lip.

Her nails sank into the skin of his back as she tried to hold him closer, and he let out a low, angry moan, which screamed danger. She couldn't miss fury in his eyes, but in a moment it had turned to unadulterated lust. His tongue danced over the bare, sweating skin of her neck. She tasted like innocence lost, like fear, like urgency matching his own. He could almost taste her jealousy, her possessiveness, her tangible guilt. But most of all, she tasted like desire, so strong that nothing could stop it.

He brought his free hand to tweak her clit each time he pulled out of her, and Virginia cried out, shocking even herself with her pure _want_. She writhed against Lucius, her hands above her head gripping the sides of the pillow she was resting on, as she desperately sought release.

Lucius felt her clench around him as she panted hard, too far gone to care how unladylike she was being, screaming out a jumbled version of his name, and he thrust into her even harder, holding onto her hips roughly as he slammed her repeatedly into the mattress, grunting as he came undone above her a few seconds later.

He collapsed on top of her for a brief moment, and although his muscled form was heavy over Virginia, she couldn't deny that she found she enjoyed being so consumed by him, his skin touching her everywhere.

When he rolled off her, he noticed her wince at the loss of contact, and kissed her gently on her forehead, which was warm and slightly damp from their exertion. Virginia sighed contentedly despite herself, finally sated after waiting for so long.

**[What do you think? Narcissa and Oscar - what will happen there? And where will things go for Virginia and Lucius? I'd love to hear your thoughts ^.^ x]**


	15. Chapter 15

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***RATED A STRONG M***

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Oh hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I'm hoping to make it up to you with a chapter today! This one will be a little different, in that I'm going to speed things up a little and skip over a few days in the story - this is mainly so I can get to the Summer Ball more quickly, which I can't wait to write! I hope you enjoy this chapter, please leave me a review at the end if you do (or if you don't!) Apologies also to anyone who reviewed whom I haven't got back to yet - I'm working on it, albeit slowly! Bear with! And a shout out to my wonderful 'review crew' who review after every chapter - I always eagerly await your comments, so thank you! :) x]**

***PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CHAPTER IS RATED A STRONG M***

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

_*.*_

_"Now all we know, is touch and go..."_

_*.*_

Lucius opened his eyes groggily as the thick velvet curtains in his room parted themselves early the next morning, and cursed the charm he himself had placed all those years ago, as light streamed into his suite and his king-size bed was bathed in light. With a lazy flick of his wand, which he always kept close, the curtains once again covered the windows closest to him, and he took a deep, contented breath.

"Lucius?" The voice beside him was sleepy sounding, and as he rolled onto his side, he took in the fleeting expression of confusion as it graced Virginia's face. Her eyes met his, and he reached over to her to brush her hair out of her face before gently cupping her chin. Her hair was tousled from sleep and the activities which had preceded it, and her body was intertwined with a sheet, a shame, Lucius thought, as it meant that he could see very little of her other than the outline of the curves of her waist and hips.

"What time is it?" she asked, clearly trying to acclimatize to her surroundings as she blinked, taking in the room quickly. Lucius' bedroom was vast, the decor unsurprisingly dark and subtly elegant. The dark panelling and thick, dark green curtains were about as far removed from the femininity of Narcissa's rooms as was possible, but very much what Virginia would have expected from Lucius, had she given it any thought.

"It's six o'clock," he informed her in his deep drawl, running his hand down her cheek and skimming it over her neck as he watched her, comfortable in silence. Virginia smiled, almost shyly, he thought, and shuffled closer to him in the bed, and before Lucius knew what she was planning, she had nuzzled her head against his shoulder and draped an arm over his naked waist, making a small, contented noise in her throat as she shut her eyes.

Lucius froze, and Virginia seemed to sense this, because she looked up at him from her position, her eyes searching his. He recovered himself quickly, and planted a swift peck of a kiss on the top of her head, before rolling away from her embrace and swinging his legs off the bed. Behind him, he felt the mattress shift as Virginia sat up.

"Should I not have...?" Virginia began, her voice uncertain, and trailed off as Lucius still kept his back to her, pulling his hair back and tying it slowly and deliberately with a black ribbon. He stood up, and Virginia would have admired his toned back had she not been biting her bottom lip in worry at his odd behaviour. She was relieved that when he finally turned back to face her, wearing nothing but a pair of silk boxers, his expression was one that she recognized.

He rested his hands on the bed and leant over her: "I think it's time to get up, you wanton creature." The familiar notes of teasing were present in his voice, and his smirk when he pulled away somehow reassured Virginia that whatever she'd done had been forgiven.

She too dropped her legs off the bed, scanning the room for her underwear, which Lucius scooped up chivalrously and handed to her, but not before pressing her panties to his nose for the briefest of seconds, making Virginia blush furiously. She slipped them on, and fastened her bra, as Lucius looked on in interest. Scanning the floor for her dress, she suddenly remembered its violent fate of the night before, and when she picked it up, "_Oh,_" was all she could manage, as she took in the vast rip down the middle of the garment.

She looked up to find Lucius smirking, his amusement clear in his eyes as he leaned arrogantly against one of the tall bed posts. "I don't have my wand..." Virginia said simply, praying he would take pity on her and mend the dress so that she could be on her way. As early as it was, she knew that Narcissa often rose first in the mornings, and had no desire to run into Lucius' wife wearing only her underwear on her way back to her own room.

"Perhaps this will serve as a lesson to you not to arrive at a gentleman's study wearing such a _provocative _item of clothing?" Lucius suggested mock-innocently, admiring his handiwork from the previous night as he looked over what was left of the dress.

"Lucius, please?" Virginia asked, inclining her head to the side. "I can't mend it without my wand..."

"Please, what?" he asked, smirking down at her wickedly.

"Please, Sir?" she tried again, and his eyes darkened.

"Better," he told her patronizingly, "But you still haven't formed a proper question. What would you like me to do?"

Virginia swallowed, trying to ignore the fact that despite, or perhaps _because of_, his infuriating tone, she was becoming a little aroused. "Please will you mend my dress, Sir?" she asked, holding the dress out to him like an offering.

"Why, you should have said so, Virginia," he chuckled at her, holding the dress out before him and muttering a charm with ease. Virginia looked on in awe as the dress reshaped itself to its former style, and the creases disappeared.

She took it back from Lucius with a genuine smile and thank you, and slipped it over her head. Lucius couldn't help but let his eyes roam down over her body as the fabric fell over it, but tore them away, telling himself sternly that now was not the time for a repeat of last night.

"It seems rather ungallant of me not to escort you back to your room, but, as you are aware, we are not alone in this house, and I am still officially in Germany." Virginia giggled, trying to cover the twinge of guilt at the reference to the other inhabitants of Malfoy Manor.

Lucius took her hand and lifted it, bending gracefully to bestow four tender kisses on each of her knuckles, in a move which was completely at odds with his rough treatment of her only hours earlier. Once again, Lucius Malfoy left Virginia speechless.

"I shall see you at breakfast, my dear," he told her, his tone subtly different, slightly more distant, and Virginia understood that what he was really doing was dismissing her. She nodded and turned to leave, feeling his eyes on her as she crossed the plush carpet.

*.*.*.*.*

Breakfast was a trying time for Virginia, as she employed her limited skills of acting to appear to behave 'normally' around Lucius, especially when he greeted her cordially after his 'recent return' from his trip. She watched him talking to Narcissa with partial guilt, but mostly in leisured interest, pleased despite herself that he had chosen to spend the night with her and not with his wife.

Carrying her secret around with her wasn't the terrible burden she would have expected it to be; if she was being honest, it felt rather good knowing that she had something that was hers, something between her and Lucius which she shouldn't have at all, yet which she was indulging in anyway. Up until now, her life had been constantly observed and her privacy had been limited to say the least - now, she felt _invigorated_, and the tiny thrill she felt every time she caught herself thinking of Lucius was almost enough to cancel out the guilt she felt in Narcissa's company.

It was hard to eat, hard to focus, knowing what she'd done, but the root of the matter was, she felt more alive now than she had in a long time. Her days went faster, and were made more exciting merely by the _thought_ of what might happen after the Malfoys had retired to their separate chambers. Lucius and she had developed a sort of system in the nights after Lucius' return from Germany. She wondered if he would have bored of her after their first night together, now that he'd got what he wanted, but she was wrong; Lucius couldn't get enough of her.

Every night, at around nine o'clock, he would send Hiyer, a house-elf who could be trusted with discretion through pure terror of Lucius, to Virginia's rooms. He would apparate under her desk so as not to be seen: if Draco was in the room, he would inform his master immediately. If Virginia was alone, he would relay a message back, more often than not that he was _eagerly anticipated_, sometimes that she was expecting Draco that evening.

After that first night, Lucius never invited Virginia to his own suite, but would come to her quarters himself. Virginia suspected, (correctly), that this was because he wanted to avoid spending the whole night with her, but told herself, for the sake of her self-esteem, that it was just a precaution, lest Narcissa or Draco begin to suspect anything.

Lucius would cast a number of charms around her room, protecting against noise and unwanted visitors, but they were never disturbed in those first couple of weeks. When Lucius had had his fill of her, he would slip out quietly, leaving her alone, quite often aching, always longing for his touch. The next time she would see him would be at breakfast the next morning, where he would shoot her the odd knowing smirk, or raised eyebrow. Sometimes, on mornings which Virginia both longed for and dreaded, he would sit next to her and run his hand over her thighs and higher under the table as he interacted with his wife and her husband.

After a few days, Lucius began what would have been a cruel game, had Narcissa's thoughts and observations not been elsewhere. As it was, she didn't notice that Virginia was beginning to receive excessively expensive and increasingly lavish gifts, which she was instructed by Lucius to wear around the Manor. The first was a brilliant diamond bracelet of rose gold, which Virginia found under her pillow one morning after a night spent with Draco, leading her to question with intrigue (and slight concern) how Lucius had even got it there.

After the bracelet came the matching earrings, which he had delivered by owl to coincide with the post Narcissa received that morning. Virginia unsuspectingly opened the small black box in front of the older woman as they sat together, and was forced to tell her the unlikely story that they were a gift from her mother. Narcissa raised an eyebrow, but demurely went back to her own correspondence.

Lucius seemed to get a cruel thrill out of hiding their affair right under Narcissa's nose, and although Virginia often pleaded with him to be more discreet, he enjoyed her moderate discomfort just as much.

Narcissa, meanwhile, although she had noticed that Lucius' bi-weekly visits to her room had come to a halt, absently presumed that he must have found some other woman, perhaps during his business trip, whom he was now sleeping with: her mind gave the matter little attention, so preoccupied was she was thoughts of another man.

Oscar Perez was the name on her lips, and his letters to her had become far more frequent than they had been before his confession in the gardens. Narcissa spent a large amount of time constructing replies, eager to keep him close as her oldest friend, but also worried that she may lead him on into thinking that their relationship was more than it could ever be. Even so, she couldn't hide the fact from herself that the mere thought of Oscar set her heart burning.

*.*.*.*.*

Draco shuffled agitatedly in his chair as he sat next to his father, late one afternoon towards the end of September. Across the solid oak table sat two powerful wizards, clients, with whom Lucius was in the final stages of negotiating a deal with. Draco was barely needed, but Lucius insisted that he be there, for reasons known only to himself.

Draco would normally, in a situation like this, try his best to pay attention, but today was different. They had travelled to the older of the two client's homes to close the deal: the client happened to be the father of Pansy Parkinson. Directly in Draco's line of vision was a large photograph of the girl herself, Draco's first love, arms folded as she pouted at the camera, clearly unimpressed by whoever was taking the picture. Still, he thought, the image captured the beauty he'd always found in her face, and he scolded himself for looking.

It wasn't even that Draco was still pining for Pansy; his attraction to her was no longer prevalent. The problem was that, confronted by her father and in her home, he was reminded of times gone by, times in which he could chose who he dated. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Draco, the papers," Lucius commanded coldly, without even turning to look at him, and he pushed the parchment across the table with a distant smile.

He had to admit, things with Virginia were going far better than he'd thought they would. He spent two or three nights a week with her, and they'd developed what might be called a sort of camaraderie. There was little passion in bed, although he found her more than satisfactory, but what he really appreciated about her that he felt able to confide in her in a way he couldn't anyone else: shortly put, he trusted her. She listened patiently when he complained about various matters, and provided him with a release from the problems he otherwise bottled up, putting him constantly on edge. He never thought he would, but he was enjoying her company, even if he perhaps wouldn't have called himself 'in love'.

The comfortable relationship between Draco and Virginia hadn't gone unnoticed by Narcissa either, even in her Oscar-inspired haze, and this had put her mind at rest that whatever had been transpiring between Lucius and their daughter-in-law was no more.

*.*.*.*.*

Virginia fell into a routine in the weeks after her marriage, one which, had it not been for her relationship with Lucius, may have proved to be as boring as Narcissa warned it would be. She spent most mornings with Narcissa, either responding to letters or reading in the library, sometimes walking around the sparse grounds of the Manor - there was only one thing Virginia missed about her family home, and that was their beautiful gardens.

In the afternoons they always made a point of leaving the house, going shopping in Diagon Alley or visiting Kallie and Leto, although Virginia noticed Narcissa's disappointed whenever Oscar was at work and not in their cottage. Those afternoons spent with Narcissa's goddaughters were some of Virginia's favourites: they often took a picnic into the forest surrounding the Perez's house, and sat down by the picturesque lake, chatting about nothing in particular.

Narcissa also made use of the three young women to help her in her plans for the Summer Ball, and none of them liked to point out that September wasn't technically _summer_. Narcissa planned to invite many of the guests who had attended the wedding, but extend the guest-list to some of her own old friends, and ask some of the younger women with whom she hoped Virginia could form her own social circle in time.

Virginia wrote to Addy to invite her, and although Narcissa wasn't thrilled by the idea, she assented at the mere hint that Virginia might ask her about Lucius' acquaintance with Niccy Deniau again. After all, Narcissa thought, Beauxbatons were unlikely to actually _allow_ Addy to come.

In fact, Addy hadn't replied either to Virginia's invitation or her previous letter, and Virginia was beginning to worry that she'd somehow offended her friend by asking about Niccy, although she tried to tell herself that she was probably just busy with her school work.

*.*.*.*.*

The night before Narcissa's long awaited Summer Ball, Lucius came to Virginia's room. Earlier that morning, he had sent the most recent of his gifts to her, although thankfully she hadn't been required to open this one in front of Narcissa. The present had come in a flat, deep pink box, and upon lifting the lid, Virginia had been faced with an opulent corset of the same colour.

Now, as she sat in wait for Lucius, she was regretting her risky choice _not_ to wear it; there had of course been a note in the box, a small slip of thick parchment, which instructed her to wear it that evening, but she hadn't quite been able to bring herself to put it on.

Lucius entered without knocking and immediately turned his attention to casting the protective charms around the room, before even looking over at Virginia, who had risen and was slowly making her way over to him.

When he was finished he looked to her with a smile, which quickly faded, replaced with a narrowing of his eyes, as he took in her attire.

"Did you not receive my gift?" he asked coldly. Virginia swallowed, and reached up bravely to rest her hands against his upper arms.

"I did, Lucius - thank you," she replied, unable to miss the annoyance in his eyes.

"Perhaps you would care to enlighten me as to why, Virginia, you did not deem it fit to wear?" Virginia opened her mouth but no sound came out as she tried to think of an answer. Eventually she dared to raise her eyes to his. He was still regarding her, his face an unreadable mask of annoyance.

"I felt more comfortable in my gown," she answered honestly, and Lucius didn't reply, studying her carefully as he towered above her. She quickly averted her eyes again, squirming with discomfort as he looked her over.

"I see," he said finally, his voice cold. Virginia stared down at the carpet, her toes curling into it, as a silence stretched between them. Since the first night in his study, Lucius had never been displeased with her - then again, she had never done anything to displease him. His threats from back then echoed in her mind and she swallowed once again.

Lucius took a step back from her so that her hands fell from his arms, and she peeked up at him. "Where is my gift to you, Virginia?" he asked her.

"I put it in my wardrobe..." she replied, and, at the raise of his eyebrow and narrowed eyes, she added hastily, "_Sir_."

"Go and get it," he ordered calmly, and she didn't hesitate at his clipped tone, bringing the box back to where he stood in her arms. He took it from her and removed the lid, pulling back the delicate tissue paper.

"Why do you think I bought this for you, Virginia?" he asked her, his tone giving little away as he held it between them.

"You're very generous, Sir..." she replied softly, barely able to hold his gaze.

"Why else?" he asked again, sounding a little more impatient now.

"Because you...wanted me to wear it, Sir?" she tried again.

"When I buy you presents I expect you to be grateful."

"I am, Sir, very much so."

He regarded her again, and she tried hard to stay still under his gaze.

"Strip," he commanded curtly, and turned away from her to set the box down on her writing desk.

"Now!" he ordered when she didn't move, and Virginia jumped slightly, undoing the tie of her robe with shaking fingers. She wore a matching set of cream underwear underneath. "Off," Lucius commanded as he turned back to her, and she pushed down her thoughts of self-consciousness as she removed the garments, standing naked before him, heat beginning to pool in her belly at his dominant tone.

Lucius had taken the corset out of the box, and was holding it as he approached her. He stopped dangerously close, and Virginia could have sworn her heart stopped beating for a moment. "You're going to accept my gift to you," he informed her, "And then you're going to bend over the table."

Virginia's throat went dry. He had teased her with threats of spanking her before, and her stomach had twisted in nervous excitement, but he had never sounded so serious.

"If you do not wish to obey me, I will not force the matter," he continued stiffly. "However, I will return to my quarters and you will spend the night alone. It is your choice." Virginia bit her lip, toying with the options for only the briefest of moments.

"I want to obey," she told him quietly, "Sir." A fleeting look of relief graced Lucius' harsh features, quickly replaced with a sardonic smirk. Virginia raised her arms without being told, and he positioned the garment, holding the front of it in place with one firm hand as he circled her, beginning to pull at the lace strings on the back. Virginia tried to breathe normally despite her racing heart.

She watched in her dressing table mirror as Lucius tied the lace at the back of the corset, and asked herself _why_ she allowed him to treat her this way. _Because you like it_, a snide voice replied inside her head, and she bit her bottom lip. It was true: Lucius was rarely gentle with her, but she reveled in his control of her, for reasons she didn't understand but had come to embrace, and he knew this only too well. He always made it clear to her that she could stop him if she needed or wanted to at any point, but she never did. She loved giving herself over to him, even if only for short bursts of time a few evenings a week.

Lucius had finished doing up the corset, and his hands found her waist, squeezing it firmly and pulling her back into his embrace, raining kisses down the long line of her neck. She shut her eyes and leaned back in his strong frame, half-hoping that his anger had relented, but he didn't continue for long. "Bend over the table, Virginia," he ordered, stepping away from her, and she heard him removing his outer robe.

She gulped, but nevertheless moved over to the solid table, taking a deep breath and somehow bringing herself to do as he asked, resting the flats of her hands beside her head on the wood. She sensed Lucius moving to stand behind her, and her heart rate increased significantly at his proximity. Lucius admired the pinkish flush which was beginning to adorn her pale skin in her arousal and embarrassment.

He gently caressed the swell of her backside, running his hand down to the tops of her thighs. "Why am I punishing you, Virginia?" he asked, his voice stern and resolute, and Virginia felt herself grow even more aroused at the pure power exuding from him, the power some deep and previously unknown part of herself so craved.

"Because you bought me a generous gift, and I didn't behave gratefully, Sir. And because I disobeyed your instructions." She felt Lucius' stance change ever so slightly, and he placed the fingers of one hand across her lower back, holding her in place, although she wouldn't have moved anyway.

"Very good, my dear," he murmured, and Virginia closed her eyes, bracing herself. Sure enough, the first spank came quickly afterwards, leaving a stinging spot on her arse cheek in the shape of Lucius' hand. He hit her again, this time on the other cheek, and she cried out despite herself, her eyes springing open in response to the wave of pain. He struck her twice again in quick succession, never hitting the same spot twice in a row, and she tried to wriggle away, prompting Lucius to move his hand further up her back to where the lace was tied, holding her down with ease.

"Keep _still_," he hissed, "Or it will be worse." Virginia relented, and tried to relax against the uncompromising wood of the table. Lucius rubbed her flesh, which was now becoming warm under his palm, and resumed the spanking mercilessly, while Virginia cried out more and more frequently.

After a few more blows, he stopped, breathing a hoarse "Well done," as he caressed her soothingly. Virginia moaned as he moved his hand around suddenly, barely even registering what he was doing until he pushed two fingers inside of her, letting out a hiss of breath through his teeth as he felt how wet she was.

"Why, you did enjoy that, little one," he teased her, inserting a third finger, and Virginia moaned under his touch, her hands gripping the edges of the table in a valiant attempt not to fall apart under his ministrations.

Before she knew it, Lucius had removed his fingers, gently pulled her upright and lifted her into his arms, carrying her bridal-style across the room and dispositing her upon her bed as he swiftly removed his shirt and trousers. Virginia panted as she watched him disrobe, the few tears she had shed already dry on her cheeks. As her sensitive centre inadvertently shifted against the sheets, she let out a low groan, and Lucius smirked at her, his eyes dark with lust. "Little slut," he growled, before climbing over her, now naked himself, and dropping his head to bestow a multitude of kisses on the tops of her breasts, which were being pushed up by the corset.

"After all of that," he said between kisses, "It seems almost a shame to take this off you." He ran his hands down over her covered body almost reverentially, Virginia arching her back off the sheets to be closer to him, but it wasn't long before Lucius had pulled away, and, grasping her hips, flipped her over onto her stomach, before setting to work undoing the lace ties he had only recently done up, until the corset fell loose on either side of Virginia's body, and he pulled it out from under her, setting it off to the side of the bed.

"You're _so_ ready for me," Lucius told her, his voice low, as his hand skimmed over her upper thigh, which was slightly damp from her own arousal. He once again seized her hips and pulled her arse into the air, spreading her legs as he did so. Virginia let out a low moan at his dominance, and inhaled sharply as his chest rested against her bare back. He placed his hands over hers and held her down on the mattress, even as she pushed back against him, feeling his hard length against her backside.

He thrust into her roughly, groaning himself at her slick tightness, and moved one hand up to play with her breasts, tweaking her hardened nipples as he moved within her. Before too long, Lucius could feel himself nearing the edge, and he pounded into her harder and harder, filling her to the hilt until she cried out loudly. Virginia would have collapsed onto the bed, had it not been for Lucius' tight grip around her stomach. He fell into euphoria a couple of thrusts later, his body slumping down to the side of Virginia's as he pulled her close, spooning her as they caught their breath.

They lay together for a few minutes in silence, Virginia resting her damp head against Lucius' muscled arm, Lucius stroking absently up and down her side, skimming over her waist and hips.

When he pulled away, slipping gracefully off the edge of the bed, Virginia had to stop herself from asking him to stay. She rolled over to watch him pulling on his trousers and buttoning his shirt, her brow furrowed.

"I wish you would stay," she practically whispered when she could no longer restrain herself, and a look of genuine bewilderment flashed across Lucius' hard features. He recovered himself, and leant down to kiss her forehead, before capturing her lips in a scorching kiss.

"I can't," he told her firmly when he was standing again, turning away to collect his cane before Virginia could protest. "Sleep well, my dear," was all he said, before Virginia heard the door click shut behind him, and he was gone.

*.*.*.*.*

**[Wow, OK so I wrote that! Honest opinions, please, because I'm really not sure about this chapter? What do you think about Lucius and Virginia's relationship? And poor Draco? What do you think Oscar is saying in his letters to Narcissa? Is there anyone you'd like to see turn up at the Summer Ball? Please let me know - I'd absolutely love to keep my number of reviews higher than the number of followers - at the moment they're exactly the same, so please help me out, even just a line! :) Thanks everyone x]**


	16. Chapter 16

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***RATED A STRONG M***

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Greetings! I'm so excited to get this chapter out, I can't even think of anything interesting to say! Thanks of course to everyone who's been reviewing, old and new readers alike. Ooh yes, that was it - I have a little competition-type-affair for anyone reading this story (details in the A/N at the end) - I hope everyone checks it out and everyone is welcome to get involved! I really hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review at the end - favourite part? Predictions for future happenings? :) x]**

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

_*.*_

_"These are the hands of fate_

_You're my Achilles heel..."_

_*.*_

Narcissa clapped her hands in agitated authority, calling to attention the multitude of busy house-elves who were currently running around the Great Hall of Malfoy Manor, many of them coming close to regular collisions with one another as they carried silver trays of food, champagne, decorations, and other Ball-related items precariously above their heads.

"We have ten minutes until the first guests arrive," she told them, her clear voice ringing in the suddenly hushed room. "I need you all to be wearing your uniform for the evening right now - if you're not, go and put it on!" There was a loud popping noise as a good dozen of the elves disapparated to obey their mistress.

"The rest of you," Narcissa continued, bringing a couple of fingers to massage her temple at the sight of such disorganization amongst the house-elves, "You need to finish hanging those chandeliers immediately, and then get to your stations - make sure you have enough champagne on your tray for at least six guests at any one time! You also need to..." she carried on in this manner, instructing the house-elves as her headache grew.

Making her feelings of stress worse was the fact that Narcissa was normally so well organized. She'd planned and pulled off many a Ball or social gathering with unfailing success over the years, details planned precisely and execution flawless. Her excuse was hardly that she was new at this. But this Ball was different, and as she glanced at the enlarged clock on the wall, she felt to her dismay a cold sweat breaking out on her back, under the silk of her navy blue gown. _He_ would be be arriving in less than half an hour - slightly later than the other guests so that Lucius was less likely to notice, but soon nonetheless.

Oscar Perez had only set foot in Malfoy Manor once before, many years ago, back when his late wife was alive and before Lucius knew that she was a 'Mudblood', or that Oscar was a 'Blood Traitor'. Of course, after that the Perez family had kept a safe distance from the Manor, which through the war had often been infested with Death Eaters, and sometimes even...No, she wouldn't even _think_ of _his_ name. Kallie and Leto had never even been close to the Manor.

Narcissa's plan for this evening was risky: she had made the Summer Ball a Masquerade Ball, in hopes of allowing Oscar and the girls to go unnoticed by Lucius, who she hoped would be too busy with other people to even notice when they slipped in late. And, she prayed, even if he _did_ notice and realize what she'd done, Lucius wouldn't want to make a scene in front of the vast majority of Wizarding Britain's High Society at such an event, would he? Even so, Narcissa couldn't help but feel distinctly nervous about the whole business, especially as it was now approaching so quickly, although a large part of her simply couldn't wait to spend an evening with Oscar.

*.*.*.*.*

The first guests began to arrive just after eight, greeted by smartly-dressed house-elves on the door, and the more important ones personally welcomed by Lucius and led into the Great Hall. Even he had to admit that Narcissa had outdone herself in the decoration: the high-ceilinged room had been cast under a mysteriously low-light, with low hanging chandeliers of beautiful diamonds every few feet. She had enchanted the ceiling so that it resembled a night sky, not unlike that of Hogwarts' Great Hall, and to top off the extravagance of the decor, Narcissa had commissioned a score of magnificent ice-sculptures, which stood proudly around the room, and upon which guests could set down their empty champagne flutes.

The masks only added to the dark mystery of the evening, and Lucius was pleased with this theme for more than aesthetic reasons, as it gave him something more of an excuse to spend time dancing with Virginia, under the pretense of ignorance of her identity, although of course in reality both Malfoys knew exactly which face hid behind which mask, and wouldn't have had it any other way, even if the guests enjoyed (or pretended to enjoy) the element of mystery.

Virginia, meanwhile, had similar hopes as Lucius for the evening, as she assumed that while Narcissa was busy with Oscar, Draco would most likely chose not to dance with her, leaving her free to pursue an evening with the man forever on her mind. Narcissa had bought her the most exquisite ball gown of deep emerald green for the occasion, with long sleeves of dark velvet and a flared skirt dropping from a tight boned corset. A choker of green and gold adorned her neck, and her dark hair was piled high on her head in an elaborate style, while the real centre piece of her outfit was charmed to rest gently on her face, a Slytherin-green mask with black lace covering the top, and light green feathers sitting on the left hand side, the tops of the feathers lightly brushing her hair.

She stood at the top of the stairs, one green-gloved hand resting on the banister as she looked over the party getting started below her, content for the moment watching from afar before anyone glanced up and saw her. She noted that Narcissa was absent, and knew that she would be waiting for the Perezs to arrive in another part of the Manor. Draco, as she had guessed, was already engaged in conversation with no fewer than three other witches, one of whom was sidling closer by the second.

Virginia turned her eyes away, truthfully largely unbothered by the other girls flirting with Draco - her eyes were for Lucius, and he had been dutifully welcoming the female guests with a kiss on the hand, but whenever Virginia looked across to the door, he was either making small talk with other powerful wizards or keeping an eye on the proceedings, much as she herself was doing from her vantage point.

Virginia enjoyed her people-watching for only a few minutes longer before Draco climbed the stairs. She hadn't noticed, amidst the now dense crowd of guests, that her husband had spotted her and escaped the clutches of his latest posse of women, but now he held out a gentlemanly arm to her as she rested her gloved-hand on his dark jacket sleeve with a gracious smile, and they descended the stairs, a few of the guests pausing in their mingling to turn and watch the young couple in their first public appearance since the wedding.

Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase Virginia was quickly offered champagne and silver platters of various bite-sized foods were thrust towards her, which she politely declined.

"We can dance, if you'd like..." Draco suggested, even as two more girls approached him purposefully. Virginia's eye was caught at that moment by the familiar dark mane of hair she had come to associate with Kallie Perez over by the string quartet, and before Draco could follow her gaze she politely declined the dance, and excused herself to meet her friend, leaving a somewhat relieved Draco to be pounced upon as she made her way through the crowds.

Kallie and Leto were looking around themselves in awe as Virginia approached, taking in with slightly dropped jaws the extravagant Great Hall and the decorations within it. Leto's light brown hair was resting over one shoulder, and she wore a stunning salmon-coloured chiffon gown with a sweetheart neckline, a matching mask covering her eyes. As Virginia moved closer to the girls, she noticed an arm around Kallie's waist, and smiled at Kallie's husband Kaloyan, a burly graduate of the Durmstrang Institute, who, Virginia had realized after a couple of meetings, was not nearly as scary as his appearance would make him out to be. He wore dark robes and a dark brown mask covered his piercing eyes, a perfect counterpoint to Kallie's ivory gown and diamond mask, glittering under the chandeliers.

As Kallie spotted Virginia, she threw her hands, which had been resting on her bump, towards the younger girl and pulled her into a hug, followed quickly by Leto and a stubbly kiss on the cheek from Kaloyan.

"I'm so glad you're here," Virginia told them honestly, and before she could even ask where their father was, Kallie cut in excitedly.

"Aunt Cissy has practically _kidnapped_ our father-" she began, lowering her voice as Kaloyan hushed her fondly, reminding her to keep her voice down in the present company. "Sorry," she whispered, and continued: "They disappeared across the hall somewhere, although surely they'll have to come in here at some point? Won't Lucius notice if Aunt Cissy is missing?"

Virginia agreed non-committedly, although she wasn't so sure these days. Leto was about to say something, but Virginia never found out what it was, for at that moment the young girl's eyes widened and she grabbed her sister's arm, spinning them both around. Virginia followed their alarmed gaze over her shoulder to find Lucius himself making his way through the crowds, brushing off the house-elves who were attempting to offer him drinks.

"Virginia," he crooned when he reached her, and she smiled nervously, taking a surreptitious glance behind her and pleased to find that the Perezs had disappeared into the crowds. "What are you doing over here?" he asked, his voice carrying only the vaguest hint of suspicion, as he took her hands and pulled her closer to him.

"You look so beautiful tonight," he told her, slipping an arm around her waist and beginning to move through the crowd with the music, and before she knew it they were part of a crowd in the middle of the Hall, dancing in time to the String Quartet, a flurry of expensive silks and satins and glittering masks adorned with jewels.

"Do you see that woman over there?" Lucius asked lowly, a hint of wickedness in his tone which Virginia didn't recognize. She followed his subtle gesture with intrigue to where a young woman was stood chatting to some other witches, her hair a similar colour to Virginia's and her dress only a slightly different shade of green. Although they were quite some distance away, Virginia could tell that she was beautiful.

"I enjoyed a rather lengthy dance with her only a few minutes ago." Virginia's eyes shot up to meet his, which were glinting mischievously in the candle light. She swallowed, unreasonably jealous all of a sudden.

"Why...Why are you telling me this?" she stuttered out, and Lucius felt her grip on his upper arms tighten, almost possessively. He smirked, and chuckled lowly.

"I'm a cruel man..." he murmured in her ear, and Virginia's mouth fell open. She pulled back from him, although still in his arms.

"You were trying to make me jealous?! That's the only reason?" Lucius raised an amused eyebrow, and pulled her closer to him again.

"Virginia..." he said, his voice caressing her name like a liturgy. "I thought she was you, for a minute - I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I discovered my error as she turned around."

"Oh," Virginia replied, her emotions settling back down as she relaxed once more into his embrace, a smile playing on her lips. The music changed tempo, and Lucius followed some of the other dancing couples, gently releasing Virginia and spinning her around by one arm before pulling her back to him, facing the rest of the room.

He snaked his arms around her from behind and pulled her to him, so that she could feel his hard chest through the thin fabric of the back of her dress. She rested her arms over his, and leant back into him, trusting his solid presence to hold her upright as she rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes as a contented smile spread across her lips, letting the rich music wash over her even above the noise of the crowd. She felt so safe like this, so secure, so _cherished_. There was something so intimate about the way he was holding and supporting her, although they were in a crowded room.

"How do you feel after last night?" he asked her out of the blue, leaning down to whisper in her ear and letting his chin rest on her shoulder as he studied her face from the side. Virginia blushed, thoughts of the previous night returning to her otherwise preoccupied mind, and answered honestly:

"A little sore, _Sir_." She felt Lucius smirk, before he whipped her back around to face him, resuming their previous hold.

"Good," he told her, sounding triumphant, "I like you sore. Did you-" He cut himself off abruptly, and Virginia searched his eyes for a reason. He was staring over her shoulder intently, and without another word dropped her arms and began striding through the guests.

"Lucius?" Virginia called, turning on her heel and struggling to keep up with him as the crowd parted in his wake.

*.*.*.*.*

Across the room, Narcissa was struggling to enjoy herself as she rested her cheek on Oscar's chest, letting him sway with her behind an ice sculpture. This wasn't how she'd hoped it would be in her pre-Ball optimism. She found she couldn't stop searching the room for Lucius, so worried was she that he'd catch her.

"Cissy," Oscar murmured, running a soothing hand over her hair, "He can't see us. There are hundreds of people here, the room is packed - if he comes over here I'll warn you, but he's no where in my sight." Narcissa tilted her head back and looked up at him warily, and Oscar could see the worry brewing behind her dark mask.

"I'm sorry," she told him, "I just-"

"_Narcissa_?" She spun round, and stepped away from Oscar as Lucius paused before them, poised to attack. Virginia only just stopped herself from falling into him as she halted abruptly behind him, having caught up at last.

"Lucius," Narcissa began, trying to keep her tone light, "Are you enjoying the Ball?"

Lucius pursed his lips, rage written all over his face. "Outside. Now." he commanded, and Narcissa paused for only a minute before hurrying to obey, her skirt swishing as she walked through the nearest door, Oscar and Lucius both hot on her heels. Virginia glanced around, and, finding neither Kallie nor Leto within sight, hastened after the others.

She found them re-convened in a small reception room across the corridor, and slipped into the room, shutting the door behind her as she glanced a few interested onlookers beginning to stray from the Great Hall.

"How dare you show your face here, Perez?" Lucius hissed, drawing his wand threateningly from his robes. Oscar was just as fast, and in a beat had his wand and was matching Lucius' stance.

"Lucius, please!" Narcissa cried, and attempted to place herself between the two men, but Oscar pushed her out of the way, stepping in front of her protectively.

"You are not welcome in this house, Perez," Lucius told him, alarming calmly. "_Step away from my wife_."

"I have as much right to be here as anyone else, Lucius," Oscar retorted, taking a step closer to Lucius.

"And what exactly makes you think that?" Lucius spat, drawing himself up to his full height.

"I was invited, for a start-"

"You shouldn't have been-"

"And why not, Lucius?"

"You know why." Lucius' voice was hard and he spoke softly, although his wand was still pointed directly at Oscar's heart.

"Perhaps you'd care to enlighten me?" Oscar jibed, raising an eyebrow at Lucius.

"Perhaps you'd care, Oscar," Lucius hissed dangerously, "To_ step away from my wife._"

Narcissa chose this moment to break through the barricade of Oscar's outstretched arm and face Lucius head-on. "Please, Lucius," she begged, "Why shouldn't Oscar be here? He's my one of my oldest friends, things are-"

"Silence, Narcissa," Lucius ordered, and turning to Oscar: "Get out of my house, now."

Virginia watched as Oscar's jaw clenched. He looked from Lucius, who was glowering at him from behind his wand, to Narcissa, who was practically trembling beside him, looking as though she was fighting tears.

He held out his hand. "Cissy?" The tension in the room was unspeakable. Virginia didn't dare even to breathe as they all awaited Narcissa's decision.

"Narcissa?" The anger in Lucius' voice was etched with confusion as he watched his wife's eyes search those of Oscar Perez, a man he had never wanted to see again. An almost imperceptible shake of her head was all it took to determine more than she cared to consider at that precise moment.

"_I can't," _she mouthed. Oscar's stance changed: he lowered his wand, and pulled his mask roughly from his face.

"Cissy?" he pleaded once again, his dark eyes pained. She looked away, stepping back into the shadows.

Lucius smiled a tight, sadistic smile. "Get. Out." he ordered, and this time Oscar was shocked into obeying. He made for the door, and Virginia stepped out of the way as he strode away. The door slammed shut behind him, sending a slight breeze into the room and startling all three remaining inhabitants.

Lucius seemed to notice Virginia for the first time. She cowered further back into the wall behind her as she came face to face with the pure, unadulterated rage in his cold eyes.

"You shouldn't be in here," he told her, his tone only marginally gentler. "Go back to the Ball."

"Lucius, I-"

"Now, Virginia! I need to deal with my _wife_," Virginia didn't miss the term, and winced slightly at the inadvertent blow, but stood her ground.

"Lucius, please, don't be angry with Narcissa," she took a deep breath: "This is my fault." Narcissa stepped forward, stunned, but Lucius spoke before she could.

"What?" His tone was icy, if disbelieving.

"I wanted Leto and Kallie to come, Lucius, they're my friends-"

"They're here too?" he spat, but Virginia continued bravely.

"The Perez family has done no harm, Lucius," she tried to reason with him, but he took a menacing step towards her and grasped her chin forcibly, forcing her to maintain his gaze. She heard Narcissa gasp in the corner at his sudden action, and out of the corner of her eye saw the older woman's hand go to her mouth.

"You know _nothing _about it," Lucius told her, speaking slowly as if she was simply a fool. Virginia felt tears spring in her eyes. How had it come to this so quickly?

Lucius narrowed his eyes dangerously at her before releasing her from his hold, and turning sharply on his heel to face his wife. "What good, Narcissa, did you think would come of this?" he demanded, his voice rising in volume with every word. "Do you mean to _shame_ me? Did you do this to _spite _me?"

"Lucius, no, I-"

"Be _quiet_! You will _listen_ to me!" Virginia had never seen him so angry, and from the terrified look on Narcissa's face, neither had she. He approached her ominously slowly, a predator poised to pounce on his prey. "You are not to see Oscar Perez again. You have disgraced me by inviting that family into _my _home. You have shamed me and angered me by dancing with that man in front of so many guests. You will _not_ see him again, or his daughters."

"Lucius, it's not her fault-" Virginia stepped forwards and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder, almost falling backwards when he whipped round to face her.

"Merlin help me, Virginia, I will not hear this. Your attempt at defending Narcissa is not _admirable_, it is _foolish_," he spat, gripping her harshly by the shoulders. "I don't believe you, and you should know better than to _lie _to me."

The three froze at the knocking on the door, Narcissa backed into a corner, Lucius holding Virginia by the shoulders at arm's length, glaring down at her. The door was opened a crack, and Draco stuck his head round the corner, immediate miscomprehension befalling his face. He stepped into the room, the door clicking behind him, and Lucius released Virginia's shoulders. Narcissa straightened herself up and stepped into the light.

"What in heaven..." Draco asked, taking in the bizarre scene. "What's happened?"

"Nothing for you to concern yourself with," Lucius told him harshly, replacing his wand within his robes.

Draco's brow furrowed as he tried to work out what could possibly have taken place since he last saw each member of his family, but the look on his Father's face warned him that it was better not to pursue the matter for the time being. "Right, well - the auction's about to start, so..."

Lucius slammed a hand down on table. "Damn your charity auction, Narcissa," he snarled at her, and Virginia was glad for Draco's presence, protecting against Lucius shouting any more at Narcissa.

Draco extended an arm which Virginia took gratefully, but she held back for a second, lingering until Narcissa and Lucius left in front of them. "Are you alright?" Draco asked her softly, examining her face with concern, and Virginia felt a sense of warmth she rarely felt from him.

"I'm fine, thank you," she answered, smiling weakly at her husband and glad for his gentle touch, and they made their way to rejoin the Ball.

*.*.*.*.*

"It's time for the Auction of the First Dance!" a chirpy sounding voice was calling as they entered the Great Hall, and looking up, Virginia saw the amused face of Kingsley Shacklebolt, standing mid-way up the staircase, holding his wand horizontally as a Wizarding equivalent of a microphone, to make his voice heard.

"Why _him_, Narcissa?" Lucius growled at his wife, clearly finding his wife's choice of compère most distasteful.

"He volunteered, Lucius," she answered, sounding marginally more confident now. "I could hardly refuse him..."

"Come on up, Witches and Wizards," he was calling, "Ladies please come and join me on the staircase, Gentlemen have your Galleons at the ready!"

Virginia made her way through the crowd, surprised to say the least to find that Leto was also making her way to the staircase-come-stage. "You're still here?" she whispered as they moved forwards together.

"Of course - why wouldn't-"

"Ah, here we have the lovely lady herself, Mrs Virginia Malfoy," Shacklebolt crooned into his amplifying wand, before realizing his mistake - "Whoops - I do apologize. I never have been very good at Masquerade Balls. Ignore me, ignore me..." He ushered Leto and Virginia to join the line of six other young women, lined up and ready to auction their first dance to the throng of willing bidders who had made their way to the bottom of the staircase.

"Remember, gentlemen," Shacklebolt continued, "You may _not_ bid on your wife! And please do be generous - all proceeds from this charity auction will be going, at the request of the beautiful Narcissa, to the Society for the Protection of Squibs!" Virginia couldn't see Lucius from her position on the staircase, but she could imagine he was furious. _Mind you_, she thought with a vague sense of dread, _He can hardly be any angrier with Narcissa than he already is_.

"Let's start over here, shall we?" Shacklebolt, beginning the proceedings, moved to one end of the row of young women, and put a warm hand on the shoulder of one of the girls Virginia recognized as having been flirting with Draco earlier. "Here we have the gorgeous Gabriella, gentlemen - what am I bid, please, for a dance with Gabriella?"

A voice from the crowd of men called out his bid of fifty Galleons, and was quickly counter-bid for seventy-five. A third voice offered ninety, but in the end Gabriella was 'sold' for one hundred Galleons, and went down with slight pout to join a masked man, his ginger hair protruding messily from behind his mask.

"Next up, we have the delightful Delilah," Shacklebolt went on - do I hear fifty Galleons?"

"What did you mean, before?" Leto murmured into Virginia's ear, as the bidding increased on Delilah, "Why would I have left?"

Virginia bit her lip, wondering whether to tell her - now certainly didn't strike her as the right moment.

"Sold, for two-hundred and fifty Galleons!" Shacklebolt roared in glee, and Delilah descended the staircase.

"Here we have the stunning Susannah..."

"Where's Kallie?" Virginia asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from the inevitable.

"She went outside with Kay - she was feeling a bit warm in here I think," Leto answered, referring to Kallie's husband, her voice equally hushed as the bidding continued to their left. "Is that why you asked-"

"And I'm afraid I don't know the name of our next lovely lady," Shacklebolt said, and Virginia and Leto suddenly realized that he was addressing Leto.

"It's Leto," she answered, taken too by surprise to even consider giving a fake name. Shacklebolt smiled warmly down at her, before turning to the audience below them. "What am I bid for the exquisite Leto?"

A mystery voice quickly bid one thousand Galleons, and Leto blushed in surprise.

"Two-thousand Galleons," a familiar voice rang out, and Virginia's mouth fell open for a moment as she realized that it was Draco who had made the offer.

"Three-thousand," the first man countered, but Draco doubled this, and after brief consideration the other bidder bowed out gracefully.

"Sold!" Shacklebolt announced joyfully, "To Mr Malfoy for six-thousand Galleons!" With a quick smile at Virginia, a strangely happy looking Leto descended the staircase and made her way over to Draco, who looked equally triumphant at his successful bid.

Virginia barely even had time to process what had happened, when she felt Shacklebolt's hand on her back. "We have here the captivating beauty from Beauxbatons, Virginia - what am I bid?"

Before a moment had elapsed, the determined tones of Lucius rang clear: "Ten-thousand Galleons."

"Goodness," Shacklebolt exclaimed, "Any advances for a dance with Virginia?" Virginia was expecting that to be the end of the matter, until another man stepped forwards, and raised his hand.

"Twenty-thousand," he bid, and Virginia saw Lucius turn and glare at him.

"Forty," Lucius countered, not missing a beat, a hint of ice in his already cold voice.

"Fifty," the new man said, and despite squinting, Virginia couldn't make out who he was - she didn't even recognize his voice.

"One hundred thousand Galleons," Lucius bid, and all Virginia registered was shock, mostly at the fact that Lucius had bid such a ridiculous amount of money on her in front of so many people.

There was a tense silence as Shacklebolt waited for a counter bid. Sure enough, it came: "Two hundred thousand Galleons."

"Four hundred," Lucius replied, quick as a snake, only to be out-bid once again by the second man. They reached a bid of eight hundred thousand Galleons, before, to Virginia's shock and slight horror, Lucius paused in his bidding. Looking down to where he stood, she saw his gaze had fallen elsewhere.

"Going once," Shacklebolt warned, but still Lucius was frozen, staring past the staircase, his face pale even in the warm room.

"Going twice," Lucius took a step forward, and Virginia was sure he would speak up.

"Sold! To the man in the white suit!" Shacklebolt cried, and Virginia looked back to where Lucius had been stood - he was gone.

*.*.*.*.*

**[Oh, the drama! So, theories? What do you think is going on with Lucius? What did he see? And who is this mystery fellow bidding on Virginia? Draco and Leto? And what about Oscar - will he forgive Narcissa for choosing Lucius? Did she really ****_choose_**** Lucius - what will she do?**

**Anyway, on to the aforementioned competition-type-thing: I'd like suggestions please for names for this mystery-man who has just won Virginia! What do we know about him? Well, he has somehow got into the Ball, he's rich enough to pay eight-thousand Galleons for one dance, and he has a white suit on - that's all that's been revealed so far, but he will be playing a much larger role in the next chapter. Please leave your name-suggestions in the reviews - the more creative the better - and I'll pick my favourite before I write the next chapter. The prize (potentially exciting or not exciting at all!) is that your name will of course be used in future chapters, I'll give you a mention in my next A/N, and (if you've written any stories on this site), I'll personally read and review one of them, and promote it next chapter. I hope some of you want to 'enter' - if not, maybe leave me a little review anyway? As always, I'd love to hear your theories :) x]**


	17. Chapter 17

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***RATED A STRONG M***

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Hello! I am so sorry it's been such a long time - I know I always say this but I really have been very busy! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, especially those who entered my competition for naming the new OC - I loved so many of the ideas, it made picking so hard! I finally settled on ****_pheonlynx_**** as the winner, so I'll be happy to introduce **Matthew de Astre **in this chapter! Thank you so much to everyone else as well, I was so excited that people actually wanted to join in! As always, please review at the end :) Love you all x]**

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

***.***

_"Love is a ruthless game_

_Unless you play it good and right..."_

_*.*_

Virginia froze as a polite applause arose in the Great Hall, all eyes on her. She was aware of the mumblings of shock coming from the other guests, but all she could think of was Lucius. She craned her neck, trying in vain to see what he'd seen and where he'd gone, but all she could make out were the hundreds of pairs of eyes staring up at her from behind their elaborate masks.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and Kingsley Shacklebolt's gentle tones encouraging her down the staircase, towards the man who had just spent eight hundred thousand Galleons on one dance with her. Her confused eyes fixed on him, and she was able to register his crisp white suit, cream coloured mask, and unusually tall height, which became all the more striking with every step she took closer to him.

The man held out his hand as she approached, a beacon of white towering over the surrounding guests, and leant down to bestow a chaste kiss on the back of Virginia's gloved hand. "A pleasure, Mrs Malfoy," he said cooly, and the voice that came from his mouth wasn't at all what Virginia had been expecting - she was also half-convinced that she could make out a slight French accent.

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage," she said politely, scanning his face but with no recollection of ever having seen him before in her life, and he smiled politely down at her as the auction continued in the background, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I beg your pardon, Mrs Malfoy-" he started, and Virginia was now certain that she could hear French tones in his voice.

"Virginia, please,"

"Virginia. I am Matthew de Astre." Virginia hoped he'd elaborate, but found him instead to be looking around the room. After a moment, his gaze returned to hers. Virginia couldn't help but feel that he was looking a tad shifty, but couldn't quite put her finger on the man.

"Virginia," he spoke again, his voice softer this time in the hum of the crowd of guests; "I wonder, although it is impertinent of me to suggest it, if I may trade in my first dance with you for something a little more..._private_?" Virginia's eyes must have widened considerably, because he quickly added, "I don't mean to alarm you, I only mean in a drawing room, perhaps - I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Virginia blinked in the dim light, taken aback. Part of her was alarmed at leaving the Ball with a complete stranger, and a slightly shifty-looking one at that, but the more curious side of her was intrigued - the way he'd asked her, (and the ludicrous amount of money he'd spent to buy time with her), made her think he had something important to say, although what it could concern she had no idea, her only guess being that it had something to do with her Mother's French family.

"We could go to the reception room?" she suggested, also keeping her voice low, although the majority of the crowd was preoccupied as another girl's first dance was sold (at a significantly lesser price) to the highest bidder. de Astre nodded, and gestured for her to lead the way through the crowd, his masked eyes still scanning the room less than surreptitiously as he went.

*.*.*.*.*

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Lucius roared, slamming the door of his study behind him forcefully and pulling his wand from its place in his cane, leveling it at the woman perching boldly on the edge of his desk whom he'd prayed he'd never lay eyes on again. She'd caught his eye during the auction, leaning jauntily against a column in the Great Hall, an all-too-familiar eyebrow raised as Lucius bid higher and higher. When he'd seen her, watching him in that slinky red dress, her dark hair hanging down her back, she'd turned away from him with that cocky swing of her hips, and walked away, heading for his office, knowing only too well that he'd follow her.

"That's no way to greet a guest, Lucius," the woman laughed, a cold, tinkling sound, and she ran her tongue over her bottom lip, which was thickly painted with a deep shade of red lipstick.

Lucius raised his wand intimidatingly, and cut her laughter off short. "What do want, Nicoline?"

Nicoline Deniau crossed one leg over the other, and inclined her head, seemingly unperturbed by Lucius's wand aimed straight at her. "Only to check in on an old friend, Lucius," she told him, her accent giving her words a ringing tone which set Lucius' hair on edge.

"You have no friends in this house. You certainly weren't invited."

"Ah, perhaps not," Niccy replied nonchalantly, "But my little sister was." She smirked as she saw Lucius' brow wrinkle. "So the great social magnet hasn't made the connection yet," she laughed, mocking him, running a hand through her thick, wavy hair, and leaving it settled over one shoulder, revealing even more of her shockingly low cut dress.

"Explain yourself," Lucius commanded, trying to conceal his hurt pride at not being one step ahead of this awful woman.

"Your daughter-in-law - or should I say _mistress_, from what I've heard? - is close, close friends with my little sister Adriene. I heard you were having a party, and, well, you know me..." Her voice molested the words in a way that made Lucius' jaw tighten further. "Sadly, Adriene wasn't allowed to leave Beauxbatons for the event - but, what she doesn't know won't hurt her..."

Lucius felt his throat constrict slightly, at the thought that Niccy had somehow met Virginia already, but he realized that this was impossible, and was glad, despite himself, that Virginia had been present during his argument with Narcissa.

"What do you want with Virginia?" he hissed, his wand still trained on his ex-mistress.

Infuriatingly, Nicoline only clapped her hands, and threw her head back with a high-pitched giggle. "Oh, so _protective_," she cooed, "I remember when you felt that way about me. Do you remember it, Lucius? It really wasn't so long ago..."

"I remember how you tried to ruin me, Nicoline. I remember your vindictive, resentful, greedy-"

"Oh lighten up, Lucius," she cut over him, the glint in her eyes all too familiar to Lucius. He lowered his wand - it clearly wasn't having the desired effect on the vixen of a woman in front of him.

"Answer me: what do you want here?"

"I miss you, Lucius..." she cooed, her voice silky and manipulative, but Lucius knew better by now than to let it affect him.

"I am _not_ interested, Nicoline. I will not take you back on any account, and I'm shocked that you even-"

"Silly man, Lucius," Nicoline giggled once again, and Lucius had to stop himself from hexing her. He'd been without her rudeness for so long that he'd forgotten how to deal with it.

"You think I want you back?" she continued, jumping off the desk on light feet, and making her way towards him on red stilettos which matched her lips and dress. Lucius held his stance. "Oh no, I don't miss _you_," she explained, "But I do miss _this_." Nicoline gestured around the room, the opulent wealth and luxurious items in Lucius' study. "That _job_ you got me at the French Ministry - not exactly _lucrative_."

"So you want my money?" She nodded brazenly. "And what in Merlin's name makes you think I'll give you a Knut, Nicoline? You've tried this before, remember - you recall what happened last time?"

"You have more to lose this time," she explained simply, brushing her long, manicured nails over Lucius' robes, as if picking off lint. Lucius narrowed his eyes.

"So have you."

"Ah," she said lightly, "I'm not worried."

"_Maybe you should be_." Lucius snarled, his patience nearing its end. He was white-knuckling his cane so hard that his arm was close to shaking from the exertion.

Nicoline shrugged, clearly not in the least bit intimidated by Lucius. "Well, this has been fun, Lucius, but if you don't object I think I'll take my leave."

"What in hell, Nicoline? You've backed down already?"

She laughed as she readjusted her hair over the other shoulder, puckering her lips in the mirror on Lucius' wall. "Far from it, Lucius - I've only just started."

"I don't understand," Lucius admitted bitterly, a whole line of dark spells lining up in his mind as he glowered down at her.

"I know, and it's very..._sweet_. The truth of the matter is, our little conversation here was only a distraction. By this time, _Virginia_ knows all about your dirty past, about how you threatened me and sabotaged me-"

"I did no such thing!" Lucius growled, but Nicoline merely raised her eyebrow and continued.

"_As I was saying..._Didn't you wonder who was outbidding you for Virginia? Or do you have such a high opinion of your new mistress that you thought anyone would pay that much for a dance with the tart-"

"ENOUGH," Lucius roared, whipping out his wand and pointing it directly at Nicoline's heart. She raised her hands in mock-surrender, a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"That was my _fiancé_ - see, I told you I'm over you. He's been having a little chat with Virginia..."

It only took Lucius a split second before he was striding from the room, having fired a powerful _Immobulus_ at Nicoline on his way out, leaving her frozen in front of the mirror.

*.*.*.*.*

"What do you know about Lucius Malfoy's past?"

"I don't understand." Virginia had taken Matthew de Astre into a small reception room across from the Great Hall, and they were currently sitting opposite each other in front of a small fireplace. He had declined a drink, but jumped straight into this interrogative question.

"Virginia," Matthew said, and although his tone was gentle, Virginia couldn't help but feel he was trying too hard. "I've come here as a friend. I believe you know my fiancée, Nicoline Deniau?" Virginia's eyes widened, and her mouth felt open as she tried to understand the full implications and possibilities of this fact.

"I know her sister, Addy - she's my closest friend. Is Niccy here?"

Matthew ignored her question, and continued, leaning towards her and keeping his voice soft. "We know about the nature of your relationship with Lucius, Virginia - and we're worried about you. When Niccy found out, well - she just had to come here and warn you."

Virginia's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, 'warn me'? And I don't know what you mean about my relationship with Lucius - he's my father-in-law, nothing else..."

Matthew smiled coldly, his lips thinning with the expression. His voice, when he spoke, was like a snake. "You don't have to lie to me, Virginia - we know, and we want to help you."

"Help me how?" she asked suspiciously, trying desperately to work out how they could possibly know about her affair, and terrified at the thought of who else might know. "And why should I trust you?"

"Excellent question. You have no reason to trust me. But you trust Addy, yes? Why wouldn't you trust her sister? What could we possibly have to gain from lying to you? Especially with the danger Niccy's putting herself in by even returning to this Manor..."

"What do you mean? What danger? There's no danger here."

"You're young, Virginia, and naïve if you think that Lucius Malfoy is anything less than a very dangerous man." Matthew placed a cold hand on Virginia's knee, but far from feeling reassured, Virginia felt marginally violated. She stood up abruptly, and glared down fiercely at Matthew de Astre.

"I would appreciate a straight answer, Mr de Astre. What have you come to _warn_ me about?"

"Why you should keep a great distance from Lucius Malfoy. I don't suppose he's told you about his previous mistresses - of whom, I can assure you, there have been many - or how he came to 'deal' with them? Niccy was one of them - did you know that?"

"That's none of either of our businesses," Virginia replied curtly, although she couldn't ignore the stabbing feeling in her gut at the unwelcome thought of Lucius' past lovers, and of Niccy with him in that way, although she had suspected.

"It is when you're at risk, Virginia. I don't have much time - I want to tell you, in confidence, what Malfoy did to Niccy. This is something that even her sisters don't know. Addy doesn't even know that she was his mistress."

"Tell me if you must."

"He is spiteful, Virginia, and dangerous. He took Niccy as a mistress, lavished gift upon gift upon her, but then became controlling. He left her no freedom. And then, after a couple of months, she angered him, over such a small matter as well. She disobeyed him, when he had ordered her not to leave the Manor. When she returned, he threatened her - horrible things, Virginia, things I am not at liberty to repeat to you. She got away lightly, when one considers... Lucius ruined her, Virginia. He sabotaged her career in Britain, and forced her to return to France with nothing."

Virginia narrowed her eyes at Matthew, her head spinning and heart racing. "I don't believe you."

A flash of anger crossed Matthew's broad features, gone before it had time to linger, and he plastered a concerned expression in its place. "Why would we lie to you?"

Virginia blinked, and her eyes found themselves on the large portrait of Lucius, hanging above the fire place. She studied his cold eyes, staring out into the room, and his the dark, shining leather of his pointed shoes, his foot tapping impatiently in the portrait, as if waiting for something. She didn't _want_ to believe this man, who certainly didn't seem trustworthy. But, as he'd said himself, he had no obvious reason to lie to her, and what he'd said...Lucius' lavishing gifts upon his mistresses - wasn't that what he'd been doing to her? The bracelet and the earrings and the lingerie? And he _was_ controlling, was he not? Did he not become angry when she disobeyed him? He was certainly powerful...

She looked back down at de Astre, who was watching her intently from his position in the armchair, not having stood up with her as was the custom of high society she was used to. Virginia's throat felt suddenly dry. "I want to speak to Niccy, please."

*.*.*.*.*

Lucius strode down the corridor, his robes flying out behind him, and flicked his wand in agitation at door after door, flinging each one open in his desperate search for Virginia. He cursed under his breath - where had Niccy's fiancé taken her? How _dare_ they come into his house?

"Virginia!" His voice betrayed his relief as he spotted her emerging from the room at the end of the corridor, which quickly turned to fury and rage as he saw a man following her out, looking worryingly smug. He drew his wand immediately, never breaking his stride, and throwing his arm out to block Virginia from his spell, aimed a powerful _Petrificus Totalus _at the man he assumed to be unlucky enough to have gotten himself involved with Nicoline Deniau.

He turned to Virginia, reaching to pull her to him, but she stepped niftily away from him, refusing to meet his gaze. "Virginia...?" he tried again, his voice firm but giving away a hint of his concern at what this man might have told her. "What has he said to you?" Lucius asked lowly, his wand trained on the man frozen in the doorway of the reception room.

"Lucius, I..." Virginia began, finding it impossible to look him in the eye. "Is Niccy Deniau here?" Lucius' expression of pure rage gave his answer away, although he didn't open his mouth. "I'd like to speak with her."

"You will do no such thing." He ruled harshly, and this time Virginia's eyes snapped up to meet his. What he found looking back at him in them was a tragic mixture of fear and anger from the girl who'd trusted him implicitly only hours earlier.

"Virginia," he said softly, trying to remain calm and not agitate the situation, as this was clearly what Niccy and her fiancé wanted. "You don't know who you're dealing with here. I-"

"I can look after myself!" she spat back, taking him by surprise at her tone, and Lucius saw her eyes brimming with unshed tears. He inhaled deeply. He was too late for damage control. Her mind had already been poisoned with lies.

"I'm trying to look after you," he told her calmly, reaching a hand out to stroke her hair, but she side-stepped him, a wide-eyed look of alarm on her pretty face.

"How can I trust you?" she whispered, and Lucius shut his eyes in momentary defeat. When he opened again, he understood that keeping Virginia from Niccy would, ironically, only make things worse at this point.

"Nicoline Deniau is in my study," he told her, his voice detached but deliberately calm. "You may speak with her, but I will remain present throughout your meeting."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I want to see her alone." Lucius gritted his teeth against her infuriating impertinence and new-found assertiveness in his presence, but knew that there was a time and a place to correct her tone, and now was not it.

"Fine," he acquiesced, "But you must understand that she will not be truthful with you." Virginia looked like she wanted to say something, but simply nodded.

"Virginia, she is not to be trusted," he repeated warningly. "She will poison your mind against me."

"She's my best friend's sister, Lucius!" Virginia exclaimed, blinking up at him in disbelief. "I practically grew up with her family."

"Even so-"

"Let me see her."

Lucius pursed his lips but nodded grimly, and turned, levitating de Astre in front of him and with Virginia in tow, to head back to his study.

*.*.*.*.*

"Oscar? _Oscar, _please?" Narcissa stood on the doorstep of the Perez's family cottage, her blonde hair sticking to the sides of her face as the rain pounded down over her. She shivered in her long, navy blue ball gown as she knocked once more on the door, resting her forehead against the cold wood when there was no answer from the man she knew to be inside.

She had slipped away from the Ball during the auction, her decision made at last. Lucius wouldn't miss her, she hoped, but if he did he could hardly become any angrier than he had been. She replayed in her mind the way he'd turned on Virginia - having spent a good amount of time trying to convince herself otherwise, there was no denying that _something_ was going on between her daughter-in-law and husband, however much she tried to ignore it. There was no other woman, no other _person_ in the world that could speak to Lucius as Virginia had and got away with it

"Oscar!" she tried again, her voice desperate, partially lost in the storm. It hadn't even been raining earlier, she mused - what dramatic timing.

She was about to hammer on the door again, when it swung open, revealing Oscar, filling the doorframe. His shirt was untucked, his hair ruffled, and his posture was that of a man defeated.

"Cissy."

Narcissa let out a sob of relief mixed with frustration and anguish. "I'm so sorry, Oscar, I wanted to leave with you, but-"

Oscar cut her off with an arm sweeping under her legs, pulling her up easily into his embrace and attacking her mouth with passionate kisses, carrying her bridal style into the house as he kicked the door shut behind them. Narcissa moaned into his kiss, wrapping her dripping arms around his neck and snuggling into his strong hold, immediately feeling warmer. He brushed her hair away from her face and cradled her neck.

"I'm sorry," she told him between kisses, "I'm sorry. _I love you_."

*.*.*.*.*

**[Thank you so much for reading everyone! I'm sorry it's a bit shorter than normal, but I felt like this was a good place to cut it off - and, you know me, I love to raise the tension of the cliffhangers! So, what do you think of Matthew de Astre and Niccy? Will they manage to convince Virginia, and what's their plan? What do you think Lucius will do? And Oscar and Narcissa? Thoughts? I love to hear your theories!**

**I'd also like to take this chance to give a big shout out to ****_pheonlynx_****'s story "Young Narcissa" - it's so good and I really think that it deserves more reviews! I would definitely recommend that you go and check it out... :) x]**


	18. Chapter 18

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***RATED A STRONG M***

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Hi everyone! Okay so I am so excited to tell you about a new story I'm working on (along-side this one!) - it's a collaboration with RileyPotter17, super-talented author of "How to be a Heartbreaker", and it's called "Sweeter Than Heaven and Hotter Than Hell". We're going to be writing both of our OCs, (Virginia from this story and Lacey from RileyPotter17's story) and, of course, Mr Lucius Malfoy, and it's going to be so much fun! :D You can find it on ****_rileypotter17_****'s account, and we would absolutely love for you to go and have a read, and let us know what you think in the reviews. Thank you in advance to everyone who checks it out ^.^ Alrighty, on with Chapter 18... x]**

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

***RATED A STRONG M***

***.***

_"This is the worthwhile fight..."_

_*.*_

"Here she is..." Lucius said grimly, guiding Virginia into his study where Niccy was still frozen in front of the mirror after Lucius' _Immobulus. _"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" he asked, the genuine concern in his voice obscured by the strong hints of loathing he felt for Nicoline.

Virginia shook her head, her eyes on Niccy, her low-cut red dress, pointed nails and stiletto heels - this wasn't the Niccy Virginia had grown up around, and it was alarming to say the least to see her this way. _Was this what happened after you were involved with Lucius?_

"I just want to talk to her, Lucius," she replied calmly, hiding her apprehension behind false confidence. If she'd been looking in his direction, she would have seen Lucius' jaw tighten as he resigned himself to leaving Virginia and Niccy alone together.

"Very well," he told her stiffly, and with a careless flick of his wand life returned to Niccy's frozen form, and she blinked, before plastering a genuinely taken-aback if obviously fake smile on her face as she recognized Virginia.

"I'll wait outside, Virginia," Lucius murmured as he passed her, squeezing her shoulder in what felt like an unusually tender gesture.

"V!" Niccy cooed as soon as the door was shut behind them, and she strode forward, pulling Virginia into a forced embrace, enveloping her in the pungent scent of too much expensive French perfume.

"Niccy..." Virginia said when she had been released, still in shock at the changes in Addy's sister. Niccy took a moment to throw up a silencing charm around the room, before turning her attention back to Virginia.

"Your fiancé just spoke to me, Niccy - it's not true, is it?" Virginia tried to keep her voice calm, but it was undercut by a slight trembling, which Niccy wasted no time in using to her advantage. Wrapping a sisterly-arm around Virginia's shoulders, she led the younger girl over to Lucius' sitting area before the fire, and settled down next to her, a look of concern on her face.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," she told her, her voice crawling with bitter sweetness, "When Addy mentioned to me that you'd married Draco, I just couldn't..." She broke off, apparently too overwhelmed to finish her sentence, and shook her head. "You're like a little sister to me, V, you know that, don't you"? she asked, placing a largely unwelcome hand over Virginia's.

"I just don't understand," Virginia told her, still trying to put all the misshapen pieces together. "How did you even know that Lucius and I..." she trailed off, her face burning with shame and horror at the thought that their secret had somehow got out so soon.

"Oh, never mind all that," Niccy brushed her comment off, quickly commandeering the direction of the conversation. "I'm so worried for you - did Matthew tell you how Lucius treated me?"

"He told me that Lucius threatened you and sabotaged you when you were his mistress," Virginia replied evenly, something deep inside of her refusing to completely allow her to let her guard down with this woman, whom she too had once seen as a sister-figure in her formative years. The thought, too, of Niccy as Lucius' mistress sat uncomfortably with her.

Nicoline nodded, and produced a white handkerchief, embroidered with her initials, from inside her bra, dabbing at her perfectly dry eyes. Virginia narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing. All was not right with this conversation.

"Niccy," Virginia started tactfully, not wanting to sound as if she was questioning Niccy, who, even as a teenager had had a fiery and sometimes alarming temper, "I'm grateful that you wanted to 'warn' me about Lucius, and the fact that you're worried about me is very kind, but," she took a deep breath, "I honestly don't believe that I'm in any danger from Lucius. He's a very powerful man, I agree, but he's kind to me, and-" The look in Niccy's dark brown eyes cut her off short.

"He was kind to me too, to begin with," she sniffed, looking down through thickly enhanced eye lashes at Virginia. "Does he buy you things? Expensive things?" Virginia's mouth went dry.

"Yes, but-"

"And he sends you written orders with them too, I suppose?"

Virginia was starting to feel even more uneasy. "Well, he does, but that's no-"

Niccy laughed coldly. "I daresay you haven't dared to disobey him, have you?" Something in her tone sounded almost derogatory, patronizing, and Virginia didn't like it in the slightest. She straightened her back and made a conscious effort to hold her chin high as she answered, mirroring Niccy's body language.

"I'm not Lucius' _pet_, Niccy," she told her firmly, "I have my own free will and I use it-"

Niccy flat-out snorted at this, and angered adrenaline spiked through Virginia's blood. "You think you're so different from me, don't you?" she sneered, and the Niccy from Virginia's childhood spent at the Deniau's summer house was completely gone. "You're not, you know? Just because you're married to Draco - you're as much of a whore as any of us, if not more so-"

"How dare you?!" Virginia cried, shocked and outraged, and stood up, backing away from Niccy, whose fist had clenched around her wand by her side on the sofa.

"You don't believe what I've told you about Lucius? Fine, so be it. It's your loss, after all. But let me tell you, Virginia, that you'll believe me soon enough. You may think that I'm a bitch, after what I've just called you, but I'm only being honest. I'm not going to leave you here alone to come to harm at the hands of Lucius Malfoy, not Addy's best friend. That's one thing I wouldn't do."

Virginia had been about to do whatever it would take to get this woman away from her and out of her new home, but she stopped as she processed the latter half of what Niccy had said. She took a deep breath, scrutinizing Niccy's face for signs of honesty, and sunk back down into an armchair behind her.

"You came all the way here," she asked slowly, disbelievingly, "To warn me about Lucius, and then to stay here just in case?" Niccy too seemed to have calmed down a bit, especially in light of Virginia's subtle change of tone, and she sat up straight, leaning over to Virginia and nodding seriously.

"That's how much I care," she simpered, and for the first time that evening Virginia felt herself slightly swayed by Niccy's words, despite herself.

"Say...Say I _was_ scared. Say I _did_ believe what you've told me," she said, her tone still sceptical but with enough doubt to give Niccy a wave of hope. "What would you recommend I do? I'm married to Draco, I can hardly just end my relationship with Lucius without any repercussions, can I?"

"That's of secondary importance, V," Niccy reassured her, her tone back to one crawling with forced concern, which Virginia was less wary of this time around, her mind elsewhere. "What's important is your _safety_."

"So what would you have me do?" she asked doubtfully, and Niccy seized the opportunity to impart what she'd been wanting to tell Virginia all evening with relish.

"I want to make sure that Lucius Malfoy never does to another woman what he did to me."

"And how would you do that?"

"He ruined me, V - I would ruin him."

"I still don't follow - how? And why do you need me?"

"Lucius Malfoy lacks many important qualities, but not intelligence. He doesn't trust me in the slightest, but you? I've seen the way he looks at you. He hasn't yet come to be bored of you. He still cares for you. You have his confidence, you share his bed..."

"Of what importance is that?"

Niccy smiled coldly at Virginia, her eyes gleaming. "Lucius Malfoy deserves to lose everything, Virginia. It's only fair, after everything he's put so many women through. Think of all those poor, ex-mistresses. Think of _me_. And what's his greatest strength? The very same as his greatest weakness: his fortune. Without that, he'd be nothing."

"Lucius is more than his money, Nicoline," Virginia cut in defensively, but Niccy was unperturbed.

"His money is his power, V. It's his way in the world, it's how he gets what he wants, when he wants it. He's never been without it, and he wouldn't know what to do if it were taken from him. He'd lose everything without it. Think of all those people enjoying the Ball, right now - do you think they'd be there if he lived in some one-bedroom bungalow, and served them water instead of champagne? Of course they wouldn't. And Narcissa? Why is she his wife? His money is his _charm_, Virginia."

Virginia stared at Niccy, long and hard. The unease in the pit of her stomach battled with her long-standing affection for Niccy. She was torn between rejecting everything Niccy had told her as lies, and the possibility that it might be true. She knew that Niccy's plan was vindictive and vengeful at best, but wouldn't any woman of Niccy's temperament feel the same if Lucius had really mistreated her so? And yet she still couldn't imagine Lucius doing anything so awful - _and yet_, she reminded herself, what of all the things he'd done during the War, things she didn't know the half of? Did she really want to take the risk, when Draco was becoming such a fine husband to her? Wasn't it pure greed, to want more than what she already had? Even Narcissa hadn't wanted to talk about Niccy - _something_ must have happened.

"What would you have me do, to help you?" Virginia asked, softly. Niccy's eyes glinted with unadulterated glee, believing herself to have won.

"We're going to send Lucius Malfoy back to Azkaban."

*.*.*.*.*

"Cissy," Oscar breathed, his hands framing her face with such a tenderness that it seemed he was worried he would hurt her, even as he pinned her up against the wall of his bedroom with an intensity that suggested he feared that she might slip away from him at the same time.

Her feet had barely touched the ground since he had swept her over the threshold, carrying her up the staircase without giving the act anywhere near the attention it deserved as he kissed her passionately, enthralled by everything about her.

He had somehow found his bedroom, and, having put up precautionary wards against noise and intruders, wasted no time in helping her peel the soaked ball-gown from her body, while she tugged on his shirt willfully until it fell off his shoulders.

Ignoring the way her body shivered from the cold of the storm and the damp, she had wrapped her legs around his torso as he pinned her against the wall opposite his bed, covering her neck and the top of her breasts with reverential kisses.

"I _love_ you," she told him again. Having refused to admit it for so long, it seemed that now the metaphorical floodgates were open, and she could find no other words. "I love _you_." Oscar pulled back from his kisses and grinned at her, loving the way she told him over and over again, her intonation varying as she tested out the words.

"I love you, too," he breathed, capturing her mouth in a blazing kiss before she could reply to the same effect.

Turning, and carrying her easily with him, he gently lowered her onto his bed before kicking off his shoes and socks and following her onto it, holding his weight off her and claiming her mouth again, drawing a long, desperate sounding moan from the woman below him.

Narcissa allowed her hands to explore the muscle of his chest, loving the way the muscles clenched and flexed under her delicate touch. His dark eyes closed as her hands drifted lower over his abdomen, and his mouth opened slightly to accommodate his heavy breathing. When her hands reached the top of his trousers he caught her wrists and gently but firmly pulled them back up to rest beside her head, entwining his fingers with hers as he kissed her desperately, trying to show her what she was doing to him.

Oscar released one of her hands, which she immediately wrapped around his neck, and cupped her breast through her bodice, soon however finding that this was not enough and moving his other hand to her other breast, before quickly and deftly unlacing the garment and pulling it from her body.

"_More_," Narcissa breathed, her hands fisting in his hair as he lowered his head and began doing thoroughly sinful things to her nipples. Growing frustrated, she reached down between them and between groans elicited by Oscar's skilled mouth, managed to unbuckle his belt and pull it through its loops, tossing it carelessly over the edge of the bed. Oscar soon got the message, and sat up on his heels to remove his trousers, leaving the pair in nothing but their underwear.

He ran his hands back up her body, skimming over her thighs and resting on her blue-laced underwear, as if waiting for permission. Narcissa met his eye and nodded almost imperceptibly, but it was enough for Oscar. He tugged them down her legs, Narcissa arching her back to help him. His boxers soon joined the pile of their clothing on the floor, and there was nothing left to stop them.

"Cissy, are you sure about this?" Oscar asked her, his voice strained as he said it, wanting to give her one last chance to change her mind. His eyes searched hers for any hint of doubt or reluctance, but he found only desire gazing back up at him, and, overshadowing even that, _love_.

"I'm sure," she whispered back, cupping his face between her hands. "I want this more than anything." She let out a contented sigh as he lowered his weight onto her, his hot skin pressing deliciously into hers, and as he captured her lips in a fervent kiss, she spread her legs underneath him. Having lined himself up with her entrance, in one swift thrust he joined their bodies together. Narcissa cried out in pleasure and arched her back up towards him, wanting to be consumed by him completely, skin-on-skin in every possible way.

For a moment Oscar was afraid he'd hurt her, but the way she gently rocked her hips against him reassured him otherwise, and he grasped her waist as he pulled out before thrusting into her again, any sense of restraint far away. Narcissa clung onto him, her hands skimming up and down his lean shoulders as she exulted in the way he filled her so perfectly. Lucius had never been lacking as a lover, but this...this was different.

As Oscar continued to move above her, nibbling at her neck and most likely leaving marks, the tight coil in her stomach wound tighter and tighter until, with one particularly deep stroke, her body shuddered with release and she cried out his name, clenching around him as she lay back, collapsed, sinking into the mattress. This sent Oscar over the edge in quick succession, and with a guttural cry he emptied himself inside her.

They lay, collapsed together, their bodies still joined, as they recovered, their breath slowly coming back to them. As his strength returned, Oscar reached up and tucked a tendril of damp blonde hair behind Narcissa's ear, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.

"I love you," he murmured, his breath tickling her ear, and she buried her face into the warm skin of his neck, replying that she loved him, too.

After a few minutes of contented silence, Oscar realized that he was still lying on top of Narcissa, and, although she far from minded, he didn't want to crush her. He rolled off her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and inviting her to rest her head on his chest, which she did with an adoring smile.

Oscar would have happily drifted of like this, the woman he loved in his arms at last, but as his eyes were beginning to shut he happened to glimpse the clock hands on his bedside table. Groaning inside, he ran a gentle hand down Narcissa's arm to rouse her. "Will the Ball have ended by now?" he asked her softly, side-stepping the real question of whether she would be staying the night with him or not.

He felt her stiffen against him. "He's with her," she said simply, the smallest trace of bitterness in her voice. Oscar's brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry...Who, _querida_?"

"Lucius," she said wearily, as if it was obvious, shifting in his arms to face him. "He's with Virginia." Oscar's eyes searched hers in confusion.

"You mean...Cissy, how do you know? Are you certain?"

She shook her head, and let out a short, tired laugh. "You know how many mistresses Lucius has taken, Oscar. I've seen the way it happens. I know Lucius well, after so many years. He's with her. I tried to ignore it, I thought...I thought she and Draco would be happy together. But the way he looks at her, the way he speaks to her, and the way _she_ looks at _him_. There's something going on, Oscar." She ran her hand over Oscar's chest, spattered with soft hair. "He won't miss me tonight. Can I please stay here?"

"If I had it my way, _querida_, you'd never leave."

*.*.*.*.*

Draco scanned the Great Hall from behind his mask, highly bemused. Not only his parents, but even Virginia had completely disappeared from the Ball. The auctioned First Dances had long been danced, more champagne drunk, and more food circulated on silver trays by the army of House Elves, but he couldn't see a single other Malfoy anywhere. More concerningly, he couldn't see the suspicious stranger who'd paid so much money for a dance with his wife, and this made him distinctly uneasy.

He'd enjoyed a dance with the young woman, Leto, he'd won in the auction, and found that, especially compared with the other women who had spent the evening trying to win his favour, her sweet demeanor and genuine awe at the extravagance of the Ball were pleasantly refreshing. In fact, he hadn't danced with anyone else all evening, and he was swaying with her in his arms even as he scoured the room for his family.

Couple by couple, he found after two more dances that guests were starting to leave, clearly having waited for a speech from one of his parents and been disappointed, and this only reaffirmed his conclusion that they weren't anywhere to be seen at the party. Slipping slightly uncomfortably into the role of host he shook hands and kissed cheeks in goodbye, and watched as even the late dwindlers dwindled away and out of the door, leaving only Leto left, who also seemed to be looking around worriedly for someone.

"Who did you come with, beautiful?" Draco asked her, wanting to reassure her out of her alarmed expression.

"My father and sister, and her husband," she replied, peering behind a column as if they might be hiding from her. "My sister and brother-in-law went outside at one point to cool down - she's pregnant, you see, - but my Father should be here..."

"Well, don't worry," Draco said calmly, "Your father might have left already if he thought you'd gone home, or they might all be outside. We'll go and look." He took her arm through his and led her outside, reminded as he did so of being forced to take Virginia on their _tour_ of the gardens the first night they met.

A quick search of the limited gardens confirmed that everybody else had already left, and Leto seemed to be becoming a little distressed.

"Do you think they're OK?" she asked, a hint of panic slipping into her voice, and Draco turned her to face him, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Hey, don't worry," he told her soothingly. "Look, I'm sure they're at home waiting for you. I'll come with you, if you like - we can use the Floo." Leto nodded gratefully, and Draco led them through to his private extension of the Floo system, situated in his study. Leto stepped in and he handed her the bowl of greenish-grey Floo Powder, promising to follow on after her. She called the name of her destination, _Cypress Cottage_, and he followed as promised, stepping out into the Perezs' sitting room, still unaware of Leto's family or his father's feelings toward them.

"Father?" Leto was already calling, "Kallie? Kay?"

"Leto?" A pregnant woman, Kallie, Draco assumed, came into the room, and swept her younger sister into a warm embrace. A man of a similar age, presumably her husband, followed a second later, and unlike his wife seemed to notice Draco.

"Is there something we can help you with, Mr Malfoy?" Kaloyan asked, his tone reserved.

"I was only making sure that Leto got home safely, Mr..."

"Arud-Perez."

"Perez?" Draco asked, a vague recognition seeping into his mind. "Have we met before?"

"Perez is my wife's name, Mr Malfoy-"

"Draco, please."

"Draco, then. My wife, formerly Kallie Perez, is the daughter of Oscar Perez, the Editor of the Daily Prophet. I don't suppose you've met my wife's family - your mother is a dear friend of Oscar's, but as Oscar's late wife was Muggle Born, you're Father is not so..._friendly_."

"Oh," Draco said, trying to hide his surprise. He'd had no idea that his mother was such good friends with the Daily Prophet's new Editor, nor that she'd ever go behind his father's back like that and defy his wishes. He was impressed.

"Where is Father?" Leto asked Kallie, and Kay turned his attention to them.

"We thought he was still at the Ball with Aunt Cissy..." Kallie told her, looking to Draco for confirmation.

"We were the last to leave..." Draco told them, surprised at the way these girls referred to his Mother as _Aunt Cissy_.

Kallie and Leto hurried from the sitting room and up the staircase in the hall, clearly anxious to find their father, and Draco wondered why they were so worried about a grown man, but followed anyway, Kay a step behind him. The four climbed the steep staircase in single file, a sharp contrast to the grand staircases at Malfoy Manor, and Leto, the first one to reach the top, knocked loudly on the door which presumably belonged to their father.

"Dad?" Kallie called, adding two knocks to her sister's. Kay raised his wand and muttered something under his breath.

"There are wards up around the room," he told them, worry edging into his voice now too, and Draco decided that either this family was supremely paranoid, or had good reason to worry when something like this happened. He settled on the second explanation, and as a result felt a pang of worry, too, for this man he'd never met. "He's in there though, the room's not empty..."

"Dad never puts wards up." Leto turned to her sister, and Kallie turned to Kay.

"Knock once more, just in case," he instructed his wife, "And then I'll take them down." Kallie knocked. There was no answer. Kay raised his wand, and spoke clearly, in a language Draco didn't know, presumably that of Durmstrang, where Kay looked as if he'd been educated.

"Knock again." This time Leto knocked. When they received no reply, Kallie pushed the door open. There was a squeal from within the dimly lit room as Leto flicked a light switch, shortly followed by a gruff "Out!" from Oscar. But the damage was done.

"That was Aunt Cissy!" Kallie and Leto laughed in unison, their anxiety of moment ago replaced by undisguised glee.

"That was Mother," Draco choked out, sounding altogether appalled and shocked.

*.*.*.*.*

_Send Lucius back to Azkaban? _Virginia's jaw dropped. _Back? Lucius was in prison?_ "What?" she asked, disbelief etched across her face. "We can't...Why? _What_?!"

"Oh, you really are sweet, V," Niccy laughed condescendingly, "Don't look so worried - it's only what he deserves."

Nicoline's plan, Virginia learned, was what she called _simple_. Virginia, who had Lucius' ear and trust, would trick him using 'simple Dark Magic' into signing a contract drawn up by Matthew de Astre, which, in the case of imprisonment or death, would leave his considerable fortune to Niccy and her fiancé. This having been done, Virginia would accuse Lucius of any number of crimes committed against her person, and in turn he would be sent to Azkaban. When he was let out, _if _he was let out, he would have nothing.

By the end of Niccy's explanation, Virginia was convinced that the woman was psychotic. She couldn't even find words outraged enough to express the pure disdain she felt for anyone who would even attempt such a cruel plan against a free man.

"That's...Niccy I can't even..."

"It's good, isn't it?" Niccy laughed maliciously.

"It's _awful_. I refuse to have anything to do with it, Nicoline. I won't let you do it! You may have a grudge against Lucius but to...No. No, I won't let you. You can't possibly..."

Niccy's face fell as quickly as it had lightened up before. "_But you agreed_."

"I agreed nothing, Nicoline. Your plan is awful, and I'll have nothing to do with it. I won't let you do that to Lucius. Have you even thought about it? This wouldn't just ruin Lucius, it would ruin Narcissa and Draco, too. It would ruin _me_. Why did you even think that I'd be interested?!"

Niccy shrugged, and blew an exasperated puff of air from her mouth. "You always were a bit of a push-over..."

Virginia was on her feet again, but this time Niccy rose as well, towering over Virginia in her stilettos, the look in her eyes altogether deranged and terrifying. "You won't help me? Fine. You know what they say, Virginia - if you're not with me, you're against me."

"Exactly - I _am_ against you!"

"I suppose it's time for Plan B, then? Here it is, Virginia. No Azkaban, minimal lying - this one is blackmail, pure and simple."

"Niccy, you can't be serious-"

"Listen carefully: you will secure me Lucius' fortune, or I will go straight to the Daily Prophet and every other newspaper I can think of, and I will tell them all about your little affair with Lucius. I will ruin you, Virginia. I will take everything from Lucius, I will humiliate Draco and Narcissa, and I will _ruin _you."

*.*.*.*.*

**[What did you think? Do you hate Niccy as much as I do? How do you think Virginia's going to deal with her threats? What did you think of Narcissa and Oscar, and what do you think poor Draco's going to make of it all? I'd love you to leave me a lil' review and let me know ^.^ (And, once you've done that, maybe you want to go check out "Sweeter Than Heaven and Hotter Than Hell" on ****_rileypotter17_****'s account...? *cough* shameless plug *cough* :P) Thanks everyone :) x]**


	19. Chapter 19

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***RATED A STRONG M***

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I've been a busy bee of late :p Hahaa that rhymed...Oh dear I'm too easily amused! Anyway...The amazing ****_RileyPotter17_**** and I are three chapters into our collaboration, "Sweeter than Heaven and Hotter than Hell", and we would both absolutely LOVE for you to check it out (it's available on ****_rileypotter17_****'s account :)) You can also find it through our Lucius/OC community, which is linked from my profile ^.^ Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - please continue to tell me what you think, I absolutely adore hearing your comments and predictions :) x]**

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

***RATED A STRONG M***

***.***

_"We are alone, just you and me_

_Up in your room and our slates are clean_

_Just twin fire signs, four blue eyes..."_

_*.*_

Lucius had Matthew de Astre pushed up against a near-by wall of the Manor, the tip of his cane to the man's throat, when Virginia emerged with Niccy. She looked traumatized, and Lucius was by her side immediately, ignoring the way de Astre cursed him under his breath and rubbed his throat.

"Are you alright?" he asked, gently cupping her cheek and meeting her eye. She nodded mutely.

"Well, Lucius, this has been _fun_," Niccy said, and Lucius fought the urge to turn his wand on her when she ran her hand up his arm. "And it was certainly a pleasure to see Virginia again. But, it's late - we'd best be going."

"I don't know what you've done, or what you've said, Nicoline," Lucius hissed, still holding on to Virginia as if he was afraid she'd crumble if he let go, "But if I find out that you touched a hair on her head, you'll be sorry." Even Niccy had the sense to look a little worried at his words.

"Take your fiancé, and get out of my Manor. Believe me when I say that you _never_ want to show your faces here again." He looked hard at Niccy, then at Matthew in turn, before adding, in a dangerously quiet voice, "You both know full well what I'm capable of when I'm threatened."

There was an awful pause as Niccy and Matthew foolishly held their ground. Virginia prayed that they'd leave, both because she couldn't stand breathing the same air as Nicoline any longer, but also because she was frightened of what Lucius might do to them.

"You underestimate me, Lucius," Niccy said after a good minute's silence, letting her eyes run up and down her ex-lover's body. "But we'll leave now." She beckoned de Astre, who turned to follow her down the dark corridor like an obedient dog. "Goodbye, Lucius," she added as she walked away, not bothering to stop. "Virginia."

They turned the corner, and Lucius and Virginia were silent until they heard the familiar _pop_ of apparation, indicating that the pair had left, at long, long last. Lucius turned his full attention on Virginia, his blue eyes searching her grey ones desperately.

"Come," he said, his voice strained, taking her hand and gently but firmly leading the unspeaking girl through the Manor, in the direction of his quarters. The house was silent, the Ball over, or so Lucius presumed. The thought that Narcissa might be looking for him crossed his mind, but he doubted that after their argument over Perez she would be in any mood to search for him. He also doubted that Draco would wish to spend the night with Virginia - he hadn't come looking for wife so far that evening, after all, and Lucius had seen the number of slutty girls hanging off his son all evening; he suspected that Draco would be otherwise engaged, if he was anything like his father.

Virginia still hadn't said a word when Lucius led her into the expanse of his bedroom, but she held back in the threshold, and pulled her hand out of Lucius' grip.

"I shouldn't be here-" she said, sounding slightly panicked, as if she'd just awoken from some sort of trance and realized where she was. She took an alarmed step backwards, but Lucius took hold of her elbows and patiently pulled her forwards, shutting and locking the door behind them, before ushering Virginia over to a soft armchair where he sat her down, talking to her softly like one would a frightened child.

"It's alright, my dear, you're safe here, we're alone..."

"Is it true, Lucius?" Virginia whispered, turning to look at him, as he crouched beside her. Although he was being more gentle and caring than she'd ever seen him, Niccy and Matthew's words still haunted her mind, and she was no longer at liberty to feel completely safe in his presence.

"Is what true, love?" Lucius probed softly.

Virginia bit her lip, deciding how much of what she'd been told it was safe to repeat to him. In the end the words rushed from her mouth before she could stop them. "Matthew told me that Niccy was your mistress, and that she did something to anger you, and that you threatened to do horrible things to her."

Lucius drew a sharp breath, but took a moment to compose himself. "It's lies, Virginia," he told her softly, when he no longer felt that he might curse Nicoline's very soul if he opened his mouth. "Nicoline is manipulative. She wants my money - she'd say or do anything to that end."

This, at least, Virginia now knew was true. Nicoline certainly did want his money.

"But, _why_?" Virginia asked, still the smallest bit uneasy. "That's not the girl I knew when I was a child. She's..._different_. Why does she want to ruin you?"

At this, Lucius stood up from where he'd been crouching down by Virginia's side, and with wand-less magic summoned another chair to sit down next to her. He took her hand in his and ran his forefinger gently over her knuckles.

"What exactly did Nicoline tell you, Virginia? You said she wants to ruin me..."

Virginia bit her lip, and looked away. "I can't tell you."

Lucius' jaw clenched, but the last thing he wanted to do was frighten his beloved mistress with a show of rage which she might assume was aimed at her, not when she was clearly already nervous around him. When he spoke, it was through gritted teeth. "Did she threaten you?" he asked, the dark part of his mind conjuring up endless possibilities of ways the could get revenge on Nicoline and Matthew de Astre. Virginia gave only the smallest of nods in answer, leaving Lucius' mind running wild with the horrific things Nicoline might have said.

"Virginia," he soothed, cupping the back of her neck and moving so that he was facing her directly. "You can trust me. I promise you. I would never hurt you. I've done some truly terrible things in my time, and I have hurt people, any number of witnesses could attest to that. But you're more to me than just a mistress."

"Then what am I?" Virginia stood up then, pulling her hand from his, her voice raised, if shaky, reacting in a way even Lucius couldn't have foreseen. Far from comforting or soothing her, he seemed to have angered her somehow. "What am I, Lucius? If I'm more than your mistress? What, please, please tell me?" She was becoming hysterical. "I don't know what to think." She began pacing up and down in front of the fireplace. If Lucius' heart hadn't been hardened by years of war and fighting, it may just have broken as he watched her.

"How can I trust you? I'm married to your _son_. We shouldn't even...And what could even..._Lucius_, I can't just...What do you want from me?" She stopped, her back turned to him, and appeared to be taking a deep breath, although her shoulders shook, making her silhouette quiver on the wall. "Lucius - Niccy said you were in Azkaban."

Lucius' forehead wrinkled. He stood up, and Virginia seemed to sense his movement, for her shoulders visibly tensed although she didn't turn around. Lucius came to stand next to her, joining her in gazing into the roaring fire.

"You didn't know that?" He had assumed everybody knew.

"So it's true?" Virginia asked, her voice sounding distinctly timid, and very much as if she didn't want to believe him. He nodded, and Virginia saw this from the corner of her eye.

"I know nothing about you," she breathed, the enormity of her naive foolishness sinking in and anchoring her feet to the rug. She'd been so swept up in the affair, in his seduction and the secrecy, the lavish gifts and Lucius' undivided attentions...Now her heart was pounding in her chest, and it was all she could do to take steady breaths, each one accompanied by the familiar scent of Lucius, that deep, spiced cologne she'd been entranced by from the start.

"We all have secrets, Virginia," he said at last, his voice pained. "We all have chapters we would rather keep _un_published."

"What did you do?" Virginia asked, doubting that she truly wanted to know the answer but unable to stop herself from asking.

"That's not something I wish you to know about, pet."

She turned to face him, braving the eyes which she knew were capable of bewitching her. "Will you tell me what happened with Nicoline Deniau?"

Lucius exhaled loudly, sighing as he resigned himself to the need to tell Virginia the truth, about _this_ at least.

"Come and sit down, and I'll tell you."

*.*.*.*.*

"What time is it?" Narcissa groaned, throwing an arm over her eyes and cuddling closer to Oscar, who she could sense was awake by the way in which he had been smelling her hair for the past couple of minutes.

"Seven forty-five," Oscar replied, running a hand down over her bare back and smiling as Narcissa pressed herself more firmly against him. "You don't need to leave just yet."

He heard Narcissa sigh, as she remembered the less pleasurable moments of the night before. She sat up reluctantly, and Oscar pouted as she covered her chest with the sheet. "I need to get back to the Manor, darling - Lucius will wonder where I am, and I don't want to make him any angrier, not after the incident at the Ball-"

"You mustn't fear him, _querida_," Oscar soothed, a hint of anger, directed completely at the thought of Lucius, evident in his tone.

"I don't fear him," Narcissa replied, although anyone would have been forgiven for doubting the honesty behind her words. "Besides, Draco..."

"Ah, yes."

"What am I going to say to him? What are _you_ going to say to the girls?"

Oscar chuckled. "Oh, I'm not worried about that. I get the feeling they'll be celebrating with me." Narcissa slapped his chest playfully and giggled, although she blushed as she relived the memory of being interrupted in bed.

"I don't think Draco will feel the same. I don't even know why he was here..." She groaned, leaning in to give Oscar a lingering kiss before swinging her legs off the bed and standing up. As much as Oscar enjoyed the view, he hated that she had to leave him.

Narcissa dressed quickly, transfiguring one of Oscar's larger shirts into a make-shift dress, as she'd have no excuses whatsoever to give Lucius should she run into him at eight a.m. wearing her ball gown from the previous night, which, in any case, had been damaged by the storm she'd weathered outside Cypress Cottage.

Oscar kissed her goodbye at the door to his bedroom, still half-naked himself, pulling her as close as possible to him and pouring all the urgency and longing of a soldier returned from war into the kiss. She slipped passed Kallie's room, tiptoeing in case her older goddaughter and husband had chosen to stay the night there, but knocked lightly on Leto's door, and, finding it empty, borrowed one of the girl's cardigans to at least try to hide the fact that she was wearing a man's shirt. Leto wouldn't mind, she was sure.

Narcissa managed, by some stroke of good fortune, to return to the Manor without encountering anyone who might have stopped her, and had almost made it to her quarters before she heard her son's voice.

"Mother?" She took a deep breath, and turned with a wary smile to face Draco.

"Draco." Although she felt considerably cowardly, she was determined to wait for Draco to bring the matter up before she was forced to say anything.

"Can we speak privately?" he asked, and she nodded, leading him to join her in the sitting area of her quarters. Before she'd had the chance to, Draco, in an action which very much resembled something his father would do, threw up a precautionary privacy charm around her room, and cast a stronger-than-normal locking charm on the door.

Narcissa sat down heavily in one of two chairs by the window, and waited for Draco to join her.

"I take it Father doesn't know?"

Narcissa shook her head as her son sat down opposite her. "I'm sorry you had to find out like that, Draco. I didn't want that to happen."

"It was quite a shock," he agreed. "I didn't even know you knew Oscar Perez, and there were his daughters calling you 'Aunt Cissy'."

Narcissa laughed, relieved that her son wasn't more horrified, and seemed to be seeing the humorous side.

"Besides," he added, "We've both seen Father get through scores of women over the years. I can hardly judge you." Narcissa's brow furrowed, and she wondered, not for the first time, what Draco knew about his Father's _current_ mistress.

"Why were you even at Cypress Cottage?" she asked, trying to steer the subject away from that for the time being, and also genuinely curious as to how Draco had found her.

"Oh, I was taking Leto home," he explained. "She's lovely, isn't she? Father disappeared from the Ball after he lost out on winning Virginia - which in itself I thought was a bit odd - but then he never returned. And you were missing too, of course. Even Virginia was mysteriously absent. So once the guests had left, it was just Leto and I. She didn't know that her father had left, and her sister and Kay had left without her, so I took her home. Had no idea who she was, of course, but she seemed upset. And then she and Kallie panicked when they couldn't find their Father, and then we - well, you were there for the next part of the story. And then I left, came back here, and I didn't see Father or Virginia until breakfast - well, I say _see_, I barely saw them really. I passed Virginia on her way to her rooms, she looked a bit _off_, really, and Father was leaving the Dining Room when I came in."

Narcissa nodded, processing what he'd said. The fact that Lucius had been bidding on Virginia at the First Dance auction was no surprise to her, but she was more interested in the fact that, despite what he'd just said about the pair of them 'going missing', and Virginia looking a bit strange the next morning, he didn't seem to have put two and two together, a fact she was very grateful for - although, she rationed, as the most recent and newest adulterer in her family, she was in a weak position to judge either her husband or Virginia now.

"So," Draco said, "Does Virginia know about you and Perez?" His mother nodded. "And now his daughters know, too?" She nodded again in agreement. Draco snorted. "So everyone knows apart from Father?"

"He knows that Oscar was at the Ball," Narcissa explained, "He saw us dancing together. That's what was going on when you walked in on us in the Reception Room - he sent Oscar away and banned me from seeing him-"

"That's rich!" Draco interjected.

"But he doesn't know that I left the Ball, at least I don't think he does..."

"I don't suppose you're going to flaunt Perez like he's always flaunted his other women?" Draco asked, and Narcissa shook her head.

"I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet, Draco. Please, can this stay between us?"

Her son laughed. "Of course, Mother - it will stay between us...And Virginia, and Leto, and Kallie, and Kay." Even Narcissa cracked a smile, albeit a worried one.

There was a short silence, as Draco looked as though he was thinking about something. "Why was Virginia with you, in the Reception Room yesterday?" he asked, clearly remembering the way his Father had been gripping his daughter-in-law by the shoulders and berating her when he walked in. "You said that was when Father had seen you dancing with Perez..."

Narcissa cleared her throat. She debated internally whether or not she should tell her son...but what could she say? What did she even know, for sure? She'd witnessed flirtatious looks and glances - but so must have Draco, if he'd been paying any attention to his new wife or Father.

"She was swept up in the situation, Draco - she's become friends with Leto and Kallie, and she followed us to try to defend Oscar and I."

Draco smiled. That did seem like something Virginia would do. Although... "That was very _brave_ of her, to stand up to my Father. Either that or very foolish," he said, unwittingly echoing his Father's judgement of the situation exactly. "Strange."

"Strange." Narcissa echoed in vague agreement, and promptly called for tea, wondering if Draco was, after all, coming to suspect.

*.*.*.*.*

"Virginia! What are you doing here?" Virginia stepped into Cypress Cottage, and was pulled into a familiar bear hug by Kallie. She smelt baking, and felt the bittersweet pull of nostalgia as memories of simpler times at Beauxbatons washed over her, memories of rushing to breakfast with Addy in their first year, of the stern but amused looks bestowed upon them by Madame Maxime from the Head's table as they piled their plates high with freshly baked croissants, _brioche,_ and _pain au chocolat. _

"I'm sorry to intrude, Kallie, but I really need to speak with your Father - is he at work?"

Kallie's chocolate eyes widened. "Is this about Narcissa?" she asked cryptically.

"No," Virginia answered, slightly thrown by this comment. "Why do you ask?"

Kallie practically squealed, pulling Virginia into the house. "Aunt Cissy spent the night here!" she told Virginia, voice shrill with excitement, "_With Father_!" she added, as if this needed clarification.

"Really?" Virginia laughed, pleased, if more than a little surprised after what had happened the evening before. "That's...great, I guess!"

"It's _fantastic_!" Virginia laughed at Kallie's enthusiasm, although she couldn't allow herself to relax completely.

"Look, Kallie - I don't want to rush off, but I really do need to speak with your Father. Is he here?"

"Oh, yes, right - no, he's at the Prophet, actually. Sorry. You can Floo there, though - it sounds pretty urgent. Is everything alright?"

Virginia nodded non-committedly. "It's just important that I speak to him." Kallie nodded, thankfully not asking any more questions, and led Virginia to the Floo, directing her as to where she should go when she'd reached the Prophet's offices.

"Thank you, Kallie," Virginia said as she took a handful of the green powder and prepared herself. "And, Kallie? If Lucius should..._be in touch_, please don't tell him where I went."

"Why would _Lucius_ be in touch?!" Kallie asked, her voice rising to a shout as the green flames engulfed her friend, but it was too late; Virginia had gone.

*.*.*.*.*

Oscar looked up from his desk as his assistant knocked, and announced that he had an unexpected visitor. His office in Diagon Alley was fairly small, but he'd made it as homely as possible, and was hardly bothered by the ever present cobwebs in the corner anymore. He loved his job, and spent more time out of the office than in it.

His eyebrow shot up as a nervous-looking Virginia entered the room, and he stood up to meet her.

"Virginia, how can I help you?" he asked, sounding concerned, and Virginia didn't notice the way he forewent his customary kiss-on-the-cheek. She sat down in the chair opposite his desk as he invited her to do, and he perched on the edge of his desk.

"I need your help," she said, her voice becoming a little shaky. "Lucius can't - I mean, my father-in-law," she quickly corrected herself, "Can't know I'm here."

Oscar nodded. "As you know, I'm not exactly _chummy _with Lucius, Virginia," he said grimly, and she nodded, looking at the floor in embarrassment. "What do you need?"

She took a deep breath, and looked up at him. "It's about Nicoline Deniau."

Lucius, true to his word, albeit reluctantly, had finally confided in Virginia the truth about what had happened between him and Niccy. Nicoline had come to England after graduating from Beauxbatons, telling her family little about where she was going or what she was doing, and secured herself a menial job at the Ministry. There, she and Lucius had come into acquaintance, and, as Lucius was so accustomed to doing in those days, it hadn't been long before he'd begun a, what he described as 'fleeting', affair with the attractive young French woman.

All had gone as it normally did, to begin with. Lucius had spared a blanching Virginia the details, but this part of the story at least matched up with some of Niccy's own retelling. He had spent money on her, and spoilt her - and, somewhere along the process, something had managed to corrupt the girl Virginia had known growing up. She had changed.

Lucius hadn't thought much of it at first - after all, with the return of Voldemort and other such matters demanding his attention, she had been far from his priority, - but gradually, even he noticed her vindictiveness, antagonism towards Narcissa, and over-ambition, which she proved determined to use Lucius to aid.

When it became too much for him to bear, and he had set his sights on the next in his long line of mistresses, he had tried, as was his custom, to break off the affair with Nicoline. With most women, this would have been fairly easy. Most of them expected it to happen at some point anyway, and the rest were sent away happily with the trunk-full of expensive things he'd bought them along the way, and sometimes a 'goodbye' pair of gold earrings, or some such thing, to 'ease the parting blow'.

Niccy wasn't so easy to deter. In a move Lucius could never have foreseen, she had faked a pregnancy, believing that as the mother of his unborn child she was invincible. Lucius didn't believe a word of it, but found that she was more cunning than he'd given her credit for, and realized that disproving her claims would be almost impossible. When it became clear to Niccy that Lucius was not going to divorce Narcissa, as she was demanding, she changed tack, and instead demanded, in a manner which sounded all-too-familiar to Virginia - that he hand over a large proportion of his wealth and property to her - _for the baby_, she had told him.

Lucius, by this point finally seeing her true colours, refused her everything, and tried to send her on her way many a time. The climax of the matter came when Nicoline realized she was close to defeat, and went to every tabloid and newspaper she could think of, which various stories. Some, Lucius told Virginia, were about their non-existent baby. Some were malicious rumours about Draco, some about Narcissa, and some were straight-up ridiculous, but exactly the sort of the thing the likes of Rita Skeeter would have loved to publish.

It was, Virginia learned with surprise, Oscar Perez who finally put an end to the calamity. Although not yet appointed Editor of the Prophet, he had still had considerable influence in the Wizarding publishing world, and, purely for Narcissa's sake, had intervened on Lucius' behalf, and put an end to Nicoline's antics, although not without weeks of hard work on his part.

With Nicoline humiliated, Lucius had finished the job by putting a swift end to her career at the Ministry, leaving her with no choice but to return to France (with a belly that was very clearly _not_ swollen with pregnancy). Lucius had even secured her an internship at the French Ministry, hoping that this would deter her from ever bothering him or his family again. Alas...

Oscar's jaw had clenched at the mention of her name. "Nicoline Deniau?" Virginia nodded grimly. She'd expected this sort of reaction from him, but hadn't seen any other options.

After Lucius had recounted his dealings with Nicoline, Virginia had spent the night in his rooms. She was awash with high emotions after the evening's events, and was still going over and over in her mind what she had been told by whom, and what she did and did not believe, in light of what Lucius had told her.

Lucius had, of course, demanded more and more forcefully that she tell him what Niccy had threatened to do to her, and what she had told her in general, but Virginia refused adamantly. She didn't know what Lucius would do if she told him, but she guessed it would violent and something he'd regret doing later. Besides, even though Niccy hadn't said it directly, Virginia assumed that the victims of blackmail weren't supposed to confide in others like that, and she was loath to risk doing anything to sever her chances of trying to solve the problem. She felt at risk enough coming to see Oscar, but she hoped that, as he had been the one to come to the rescue before, he would be able to help her now.

Lucius had given up his questioning in the end, and put Virginia to bed in his room, although by the time he'd joined her some hours afterwards, after brooding over the fire, she had been in the midst of a troubled sleep. She had slipped away to eat a quick breakfast before he'd woken, and then left for Cypress Cottage in search of Oscar. She could only imagine with dread what Lucius would say when she got home, and had been pushing Draco and Narcissa out of her mind, compartmentalized into a small box, but she hoped that none of them would come looking for her - or for Nicoline, come to think of it.

"Oscar," she continued, although he looked furious by the mere mention of Nicoline's name, "I wouldn't ask unless it was important. I know - that is, Lucius has told me - what happened with Niccy before, and how you helped. Nicoline turned up at the Ball last night, after you and Narcissa had left. She's trying to blackmail me. She says that if I don't get Lucius' money for her, she'll go to all the newspapers again, and tell them about-" She cut herself off short, forgetting that Oscar shouldn't have known about her affair, and flushed a deep shade of pink at her indiscretion, glancing away from him and up at the ceiling.

"Tell the newspapers about what, Virginia?" Oscar asked softly. She didn't answer him. "About your affair with Lucius?"

Virginia's grey eyes shot up to meet his. He looked down at her from his desk, almost sadly. "Narcissa suspects," he told her softly. Virginia gasped, and covered her face in horror. That was the worst possible news.

Oscar hopped off his desk, and sat down in the chair next to Virginia, at her level. "I'm such a terrible person," Virginia whimpered when she finally looked at him, but Oscar shook his head.

"You've made a mistake. You've become involved with a man who is not your husband. It's hardly the first time it's happened, not least in the Malfoy family. Narcissa herself..."

He trailed off, but Virginia nodded, indicating to Oscar that she, too, knew about their affair. "It's not the same though, is it?" she sniffled. "He's not just anybody, he's not even an old friend, like you are to Narcissa. He's my father-in-law. And it's not like Draco's taken a mistress, like Lucius took mistresses. And Narcissa's always been so lovely to me - she's treated me like a daughter, and been more of a mother to me than my own flesh and blood. I've done a horrible thing."

"I would hazard a guess that you weren't the..._pursuer_ in the relationship? Virginia, don't be too hard on yourself. You're so young. Lucius is a grown man, he knows exactly what he's doing."

"But he hardly forced me!" Virginia countered, "I didn't _have_ to have an affair with him, I should have been a good wife, and then this would never have happened! Oh Merlin - Narcissa must hate me. And Draco - does Draco know?"

Oscar produced a handkerchief for her, and patted her on the back. "Firstly, I don't think that Narcissa hates you. You're not the first woman to have an affair with her husband, although of course, as you said, the circumstances are different; however she too has been unfaithful to her husband. As for Draco, I don't believe that he knows anything about this. Let's hope he never will. And Nicoline Deniau? Frankly, Virginia, I think that, as Draco's wife, she would have targeted you anyway. Lucius' mistress or not, you still have access to the Malfoy fortune."

Virginia nodded dismally, praying that Draco hadn't somehow found out. As far as she knew, he was the only member of the family _not_ engaging in an extra-marital affair. If he had, she may have felt less guilty.

"Oscar, please help me," Virginia begged, wiping her eyes. "If you can do what you did last time again, Niccy's plan will fall apart. If the papers don't believe her, she won't be able to ruin Lucius, or humiliate Narcissa and Draco. I don't think there's anything else she can threaten to do. Please say you'll help?"

There was a long pause. Oscar said nothing. "Oscar?" Virginia asked, sounding panicked. "Please?"

He stood up, and went to sit at his desk. "This isn't the only way you can solve the problem, Virginia."

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"There are two parts to this blackmail - the selling of the story to the newspapers to out you and Lucius, and the fact that the two of you are having an affair to begin with."

"So?" she asked, desperately. She didn't like the sound of where Oscar was going with this.

"Virginia, if you end your relationship with Lucius, Nicoline Deniau can do nothing. She'll have nothing against you - she's got no evidence of your affair to date, or else she'd already have blackmailed Lucius directly."

"You think I should break up with him?"

"Of course you should!" he exclaimed, before noting her wounded expression. He softened his tone. "Virginia, it was never going to last forever. Sweetheart, you're just another one of his mistresses. You're Draco's wife, not his. You'd be better off getting out now, before he breaks your heart."

"No." She stood up. "No, Oscar, it's more than that. He told me. He said I'm more than just a mistress to him."

Oscar rose too. "Yes, Virginia, and he's right - you're his _daughter-in-law_. What did you think was going to happen?"

"There's got to be another way," Virginia said, ignoring him, "I'll...I'll speak to Addy, she'll make her sister see sense. Or I'll tell Lucius - he'll stop Niccy himself-"

"Virginia," Oscar thundered, not meaning to scare her but needing to get her attention. "Sit down and listen to me." She obeyed, more out of shock than anything else. "I'm sorry," he began, "You can't tell Lucius - I've known Lucius for a longer time than I should have liked: if he finds out any more about this, he won't think before he acts. You don't want to see him put himself back in Azkaban. And if you contact Nicoline's sister, what's to say she won't go straight to the papers, or worse?"

"Then you'll stop the story from being published, like last time-"

"No, Virginia, I won't."

"Why not?" she cried, desperation sinking in at his resolute tone. She couldn't understand.

"I owe Lucius Malfoy no favours, Virginia."

"I know that, but it's not just him - it's Narcissa, too. If Lucius loses everything, so does she."

"No, she doesn't," Oscar said calmly, and Virginia realized what he meant. Narcissa was with Oscar, heart and soul, anyway - she would be well cared for, whatever happened.

"What about Draco? He'd lose everything too."

"Draco is a grown man. He may work with his Father, but he's perfectly capable of making his way in the world independently. And Nicoline has nothing against him."

"But...he'd find out about me. Everyone would."

"Not if you break it off, Virginia. You have the power to stop Nicoline here, and you alone. End your relationship with Lucius. Draco will be none the wiser, Narcissa will forgive you, and even so is hardly in a position to judge, and Lucius will have to deal with it. Sweetheart, he'll find someone else. And I'm sure Draco will make you very happy - if only you'll let him."

"No," Virginia was crying silently, shaking her head, "No."

Oscar watched her in silence from across his desk. "Do you love him?" he asked eventually, his voice gentle. Virginia looked away.

"I don't understand, Virginia - do you even know about his past? The things he's done?"

"Everyone has secrets," Virginia mumbled, distraughtly echoing Lucius' words from the night before. She looked up at him, willing to beg, one last time: "_Please_?"

"I'm sorry, Virginia. This one is down to you, sweetheart."

*.*.*.*.*

**[Credit where credit's due, (and no copyright infringement intended!) - the line: "We all have chapters we would rather keep unpublished" is taken from Downton Abbey, one of my favourite TV shows ^.^ Alrighty, so, what do you think? What will Virginia do? Will Oscar give in and help? Do you think Draco will realize that something's going on? Will Virginia be put off by Lucius' past? Please let me know in the review section, and I'll send virtual French croissants your way :p x]**


	20. Chapter 20

**Love is a Ruthless Game**

**A Marriage Law Lucius/OC FanFiction**

By VenusInHerHair

***RATED A STRONG M***

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended! All rights go to JKR*

**[Here it is, Chapter 20 - sorry for the long wait! Please let me know what you think in the reviews as there's a bit of a change of pace this chapter :) (Is this my shortest A/N ever?!) x]**

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

***RATED A STRONG M***

***.***

_"We learn to live with the pain..."_

_*.*_

Virginia could feel the intrigued eyes of the Malfoy family portraits, which lined the walls of the long corridors, watching her, with ill-disguised disapproval, as she made her way to Lucius' study upon her return from Oscar's Diagon Alley office. Tears still streamed down her face, and she prayed that she wouldn't run into Narcissa or Draco on her travels.

Lucius' study door was open when she finally reached it, and she could see him standing stiffly by the window, looking out over his grounds. He turned quickly when he heard her push the door open and step in.

"Virginia, where in Merlin's name have you been?" he roared, slamming a glass of something down on the window sill, and she flinched at the anger in his voice. "What happened? I woke up and you were gone-"

"Please don't shout," Virginia begged softly, dashing tears away from her face with the back of her hand.

Trying to calm himself, Lucius' sighed, mostly from the relief of having her back, looking relatively unharmed, and crossed the room quickly to envelope Virginia in a tight embrace and inhale the sweet scent of her hair, loose and falling down over her upper back.

"I was so worried," he told her hoarsely, breath tickling her neck as he ran a soothing hand through her hair. "Are you hurt? Tell me what happened."

Virginia didn't look up at him, but shook her head. "I can't tell you," she sniffled, "But, Lucius, I need to say something."

Lucius took a deep breath, reigning in his temper to stop himself from demanding that she tell him exactly where she had been, and whom she had seen to make her so upset, and instead planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"What is it, my dear?" he asked, pulling away.

Virginia took a deep, shuddering breath, as a fresh stream of tears threatened to spill over. She knew that this was something she should have done a long time before now, and part of her knew that it would be for the best, but it was still quite possibly the most painful thing she'd ever had to do.

"I-" she began, looking into Lucius' cold grey eyes with vision slightly blurred by her distress, "Lucius, I can't see you anymore."

There was a horrible silence. Virginia tore her gaze away from his, her shoulders shaking. When Lucius finally spoke, his voice was shockingly controlled, although his fury was close to the surface.

"Is this because of what Nicoline told you?"

"No." Virginia longed to fall into his arms, tell him everything, and trust him to find a way to deal with the situation. But, as Oscar Perez had pointed out, only she had the power to stop Nicoline from ruining Lucius - and from ruining her, too. She had no other option but to break things off and keep Lucius in the dark, or watch as everything he knew fell apart around him, and know, deep down, that it was largely her fault.

"Why are you doing this?" Lucius asked quietly, applying the gentlest force to tilt Virginia's chin up so that he could search her face for any clue. His eyes scanned hers desperately, trying to understand.

"We shouldn't have started this in the first place, Lucius," Virginia told him, trying to convince her heart even as Lucius shook his head at her words. "It's so wrong - I love Narcissa like a mother, and _she's_ your wife. And Draco...he's your son, he's my _husband_."

"I never forced you to do anything," Lucius retorted stiffly, feeling his defenses rising around him.

"Of course you didn't," Virginia cried, "I wanted you. You made me feel so..._special_. I'd do it all again."

"Virginia, you _are_ special." He looked as if he was struggling to get his next words out. "I want to be with you."

"I'm just your mistress, Lucius; please don't make this harder than it is."

"You are more than that, pet, I've told you," he told her firmly, reaching out to try to pull her closer to him.

"We can't be together, Lucius, I'm sorry. No - please don't touch me, I need to leave-"

"Virginia!" Lucius thundered, but Virginia had pulled away from him and was half-way down the corridor, her heels hitting the marble as she ran, matching the pounding of her heart.

*.*.*.*.*

It was Draco who found Virginia, two hours later, curled up on the damp grass in the grounds of Malfoy Manor, her arms wrapped protectively around her knees. She'd run straight back to her room, but found that being in there, where _he'd_ been with her, was too painful, and so, lacking any inclination to go somewhere the house-elves might interrupt her, had come outside and taken refuge under a large oak tree.

"There you are!" Draco called as he approached, blissfully unaware of the events of the morning. Since his conversation with his mother he had been wrapped up in his own affairs, and hadn't heard the shouting coming from his father's office. He had, however, had more than economics on his mind. In truth, he felt terribly guilty about the way he'd treated Virginia - not badly, far from it, but not as a husband ought to treat his wife. Looking back to the Ball, he was angry at himself for being more interested in Leto, a seemingly random girl, than in the whereabouts of his wife, and although he hadn't quite put the pieces of the puzzle together concerning _why_ Virginia had been so caught up in his parents' rowing, he regretted that he had left her alone in the first place.

"Are you alright?" he asked, crouching down next to Virginia, who had quickly transfigured her handkerchief into something passable as stitch work when she'd seen her husband coming. She nodded, and replied with a forced smile that she was just enjoying the warmth of the gardens after the storm of the night before.

"Actually, Virginia, I want to talk to you," Draco began, moving to sit along side her and resting his back against the same tree. He felt highly uncomfortable having this sort of conversation, but had vowed to himself that he'd try, at the very least. Virginia turned her head hesitantly to look at him, hoping that he wouldn't ask why her eyes were so red and puffy.

"I want to apologize to you," he said, and reached for her hand, almost absent-mindedly fiddling with the wedding band he'd placed upon it all those weeks ago. "I haven't been a good husband to you-"

"Draco, please," Virginia interjected, feeling her heart constrict with guilt, "You've been so good to me."

"I know-," he stammered, "I know that this marriage wasn't a love match. Neither of us had any say in the matter, and that's made things..._difficult_, at times. But I want things to change. I want us to be _happy_ together, not merely live alongside one another. I want to spend more time with you, get to know you - properly. Would you like that?"

Virginia could, at this point, only nod meekly. She was utterly taken aback.

"After all," Draco continued, running his thumb over the back of her hand, "Before too long, with any luck, there'll be more than just the two of us." Virginia smiled weakly in response, relieved when Draco leaned in to kiss her tenderly, because it meant he was no longer scrutinizing her reaction to what he'd said.

Inwardly, she winced at his words. Pregnancy was certainly _not_ something she wanted to give any thought to at the present moment. Pushed even further back in her mind, squashed down into a dark corner where she could forget it, was the fact that she was, in fact, worryingly _late_.

Draco pulled away from her, a contented smile on his face. He stood up, still holding onto her hand. "Why don't you come inside? We can have lunch together, and do something this afternoon. Anything you want." Virginia smiled back at him, unable to fault the genuine care looking back at her, and followed him back to the Manor in comfortable silence, her arm through his.

Lucius happened to look up at the window as they passed, and fumed.

*.*.*.*.*

The next couple of weeks passed for Virginia far better than she had expected. As Draco had hoped would happen, the young couple grew much closer, and with Lucius no longer in the picture apart from at meal times, Virginia had no real cause to object to him spending most nights of the week with her.

Narcissa had watched from a distance as her son and daughter-in-law bonded in the way she'd prayed they would from their first meeting. The very same day of Virginia's meeting with Oscar, he had drawn Narcissa into his confidence regarding the matter, and she had, after her initial horror had subsided, agreed that what he'd advised was for the best. Relying on her good sense, calm mind and pure hatred of Nicoline Deniau, she had taken it upon herself to send the women packing once and for all, and she and Oscar had done some things neither was particularly proud of in order to guarantee that the obnoxious young French woman would not be bothering the family again, assuring her that there was no way in Hell that she'd ever get her hands on Lucius' money, and, further more, that trying to sell a story to any newspaper would be hopeless, as, not only was Oscar Perez against her, but also the couple in question were _not_ a couple.

Nicoline had, as was to be expected, put up a bitter fight as only she could, but in the end realized that she was fighting a losing battle, and, for now at least, had made her departure, the very real threats of a very angry ex-Death Eater's wife ringing very loudly in her ears as she went.

Narcissa had given Virginia a couple of day's grace, easily discerning from her husband's foul mood and reluctance to join the family for meals, and Virginia's pale countenance, that the girl had, indeed, broken off their elicit affair, before she pulled her own emotions in check enough to speak to her about it.

She had found Virginia alone in the library, apparently engrossed in a book, but which, Narcissa saw upon closer inspection, she was in fact holding upside-down. Virginia, who had obviously been lost in thought, had jumped as Narcissa sat down next to her, and promptly set her book down, flushing a deep shade of pink and struggling to meet the older woman's eyes.

"Virginia," Narcissa had said soothingly, "It's alright. I _know_, and I'm not angry with you." Virginia's eyes had met hers disbelievingly as she shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, biting her bottom lip and waiting for Narcissa to continue speaking.

"Oscar's told me everything. May I assume that you and Lucius..." she had trailed off then, sensing Virginia's discomfort and the way the girl's bottom lip was quivering, on the verge of tears.

"_I'm so sorry, Narcissa,_" she had cried, dropping to her knees on the plush green rug, at Narcissa's feet. "You should hate me. I did a terrible thing."

"No, darling, shhh, it's alright," Narcissa had cooed, pulling Virginia to her feet and sitting her back on the sofa. "It's not important anymore. It's over, isn't it?" Virginia had nodded vehemently at this. "You know very well that I, too, have been unfaithful as of late. Shhh, please don't cry. Virginia, look at me," she had commanded firmly: "I forgive you. You need to forgive _yourself_."

"But-Draco-"

"Doesn't know. And it's better that way. He loves you, Virginia."

Lucius, on the other hand, was by no means prepared to support or encourage his son's marriage, and in fact spent many an hour over that fortnight attempting to spend time with Virginia alone, even going so far as to send the girl more and more lavish gifts, which she valiantly sent back, only to his increased anger. He found he was consistently blocked in his efforts to see her by Narcissa, who seemed suspiciously keen to keep him preoccupied, and who had even, once or twice, seemed to have been actively encouraging Lucius to find a new mistress, not-so-subtly putting forward the names of some of the more _promiscuous_ women she thought might be interested, all in her three-fold campaign to keep Lucius away from Virginia, keep Virginia happy with Draco, and keep Lucius off Oscar's scent.

Oscar himself was also busy, and had enlisted Kallie and Leto to accompany him on more than one visit to jewelers in the vicinity, grinning from ear to ear as his daughters practically glowed with the excitement and secrecy of it all, helping him by trying on numerous rings in his search for the perfect one, for a woman who was, in his eyes at least, nothing short of remarkable.

*.*.*.*.*

The days went by, and Virginia was almost certain by the time she plucked up the courage to make an appointment with a Healer. She had grown closer to Draco than she had ever thought possible, and either he or Narcissa would have been her first port of call on any other matter but this one. As things stood, however, she arranged to meet Nurse Wainscott, Madam Pomfrey's old apprentice from Hogwarts, in private, apparating to a small consultation room on the top floor of St. Mungo's, where the young nurse now worked.

"Mrs Malfoy," Wainscott greeted her cordially as she entered, remembering with fondness the young French girl who had joined Hogwarts at the same time she had, and who had come in tears to the Hospital Wing in her first week at the school, finding solace in the comforting words of the young Nurse. "What can I do for you?"

Virginia took the seat Nurse Wainscott was gesturing to, and the Nurse observed with concern her pale face and the way she was clutching her slim stomach. "I think-" the girl began anxiously, swallowing her nerves and finally admitting out loud the thought that had been plaguing her for over a fortnight: "I think that I might be pregnant."

Wainscott took a deep breath but nodded sympathetically, mentally cursing the damned Marriage Law, under which she had seen so many young women coming to her with similar utterances in the past weeks, always frightened, always far too young to become mothers, in her opinion at least.

"Have you been experiencing any symptoms?" she asked gently, pulling her chair closer to Virginia's.

"Sickness, nauseas in general, actually," she admitted, "And I've been ever so tired."

"Well," said Wainscott, "We can't be sure until we do a test - would you like your husband to be here? A friend, perhaps?" Virginia shook her head, almost embarrassed by her wish to be alone for this, to find out alone. She knew that, had she told Narcissa, her mother-in-law would have been nothing but kind and supportive, and Draco too would have been a positive addition to the consultation. But Virginia had her reasons for her intense feeling of unease, and was still holding out hope that the signs of pregnancy she'd been experiencing would be able to be explained away.

"Come and lie down, dear, and let's find out," Wainscott said, helping her up onto an examination table, and wielding her wand. She gently lifted Virginia's blouse up, revealing the tiniest swell of her abdomen, and held her wand over it, moving it in circular motions as she muttered a charm calmly. Virginia waited with baited breath, her eyes screwed shut tightly.

"Mrs Malfoy?" Wainscott said gently, placing a hand over Virginia's, "I have news." Virginia nodded her head, bracing herself, her eyes still closed. "You are going to have a baby."

Virginia didn't move. She inhaled deeply, and her chest heaved. When she opened her eyes, praying that they'd been a mistake, she gasped. Hovering in the air, above her exposed belly, was a shining white light, the shape of a small bean. Wainscott smiled sadly as she looked down at her young patient.

"Congratulations, Virginia," she said softly, lowering her wand and Virginia's blouse, as the white light faded into the sterile hospital room.

*.*.*.*.*

For the first time since she'd ended their affair, Virginia found herself walking the long corridor towards Lucius' study that evening, her sense of foreboding only increasing with each step. She'd barely seen Lucius in the past weeks, a fact for which she'd been glad, as it helped keep her pining to a minimum; even so, pine she did. She missed Lucius acutely, and nothing that Draco could give her would ever be the same as what she'd had with Lucius.

Dinners became a painful affair, with Narcissa keeping Lucius engaged in conversation while Draco spoke solely to Virginia, who in turn made every effort not to become lost in Lucius' eyes, or submit to the longing glances he cast her way. She could feel his eyes on her as she had during her first days in the Manor, but this time they were without the glimmer of excitement that she had felt previously; they merely served to remind her of the past, of what had been, and it broke her heart to accept that she could never again allow herself to fall under Lucius' spell.

She paused on the other side of his study door, arm raised to knock, heart pounding like a bludger in her chest. Virginia carried with her two secrets that night: that she was pregnant, no one else knew, but that wasn't all. There was something else, something she hand't dared tell even Nurse Wainscott. The truth was, although arithmetic had never been her strong point, she had thought at length about the small matter of dates, and come to a very unsavory conclusion: she had no real way to tell whose child the one growing inside her was.

"Enter," a cold voice called from inside when she knocked, and she knew that there was no turning back from this point. She placed her hand over the cold brass doorknob and twisted it, hearing the latch click as she pushed the door open.

"Virginia?" Lucius breathed when he saw her, rising immediately from his desk. She smiled, a strained smile, but a smile none the less, and gently shut the door behind her, never taking her eyes from his. It felt odd to say the least to be back in his study.

"Sir," she answered, surprised by the almost flirtatious edge to her tone, and saw Lucius mouth curve in a smirk. Before she could stop herself, she had crossed the room and was in his arms, inhaling his deep scent and wrapping her arms around his neck, all of her feelings of anxiety and fear melting away as his grey eyes bore into hers. "I missed you."

Lucius' lips were quick to find hers, and by the time they stopped to breathe, they found themselves on the other side of the room, Lucius holding Virginia on his lap in his high-backed armchair, she clinging onto his neck, his hands holding securely onto her waist.

"What changed?" he murmured between soft kisses to her neck, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer, but somehow desperate to find out.

Virginia froze momentarily, her true reason for needing to see Lucius flooding back into her consciousness, and she debated how to tell him. "Does it matter?" she answered breathily in the end, moving to press her lips to Lucius' again, and he replied lowly that no, it did not.

"I'm quite sure that you've driven me mad, my darling," he told her, running his hand up her leg and under her skirt until she got the message and shifted on his lap, allowing him to remove the garment. "You've utterly bewitched me."

Virginia moaned as his impatient hands pulled her blouse over her head and swiftly found her breasts, massaging them as his mouth reconnected with her neck and he rained kisses from her jawline down to her collar bone. They were moving fast, but neither cared in the slightest.

"You're not going to leave again, are you?" he asked her, the seriousness clear in his voice although he continued to fondle her breasts through the thin fabric of her bra. Virginia swallowed, deciding in that moment that she hadn't the will power or strength to leave him tonight - but determined, all the same, that she wouldn't let herself slip back into the state of whatever she'd had previously with him.

"Lucius," she began, "I'm here, _now_, for tonight...But I still can't be your mistress..." she trailed off as Lucius ran his hands down over her stomach, apparently unprepared to take her refusal for an answer. One hand came up to cup her cheek, as the other dipped sinfully lower and beneath the hem of Virginia's panties, causing her to whimper and squirm in his lap.

"We'll discuss it in the morning," he decided firmly, watching with rapture as Virginia's head fell back in pleasure and she moaned, a slightly slurred rendition of his name. He continued his skilled ministrations, dropping his lips down to her chest when he could bear to look away from her face, eliciting increasingly loud and desperate mewling from the young woman on his lap, until, with violent tremors wracking her body, she fell apart under his touches, crying out his name.

"Come away with me," Lucius murmured suddenly, the idea forming in his mind only seconds before the words fell from his mouth. "I'm due to go to Paris in the morning on business - come with me." Virginia was still coming down from her high, breathing heavily as she turned her darkened eyes on his, mouth slightly open with lips swollen from their ardent kissing.

"I shouldn't..." she managed to answer.

"But you _want_ to," Lucius cut in, his tone nothing short of hypnotic to Virginia in her current state. "Say you'll come, I want you with me..."

"What about Draco?" Virginia asked, impressed that she'd managed to form a coherent sentence.

"We'll tell him that you want to visit your family - you have aunts and uncles in the area, don't you?" Virginia nodded. "Then it's settled."

"But-"

"No, Virginia, no 'but's. If you won't be my mistress, at least come with me now - just two days - say you'll come."

She paused, but in truth her mind was made up. "Yes."

*.*.*.*.*

**[I couldn't bear to keep Lucius and Virginia apart for too long! What do think Virginia will do about the baby? Will she tell Lucius? How will he react? What about Draco and Narcissa? Please let me know! If every person who read this reviewed, I would be absolutely over the moon! x]**


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